Awakenings
by Bumblebee
Summary: After high school, Kari and TK must decide on their future and their relationship with each other. Please read and review! The next chapter is now up!- 06: Beautiful Distraction!
1. Prologue: Dreaming in Digital

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A/N: Greetings! This is my third Digimon fic, and the first one that is relatively serious. =) This may be a many-parter (I'm thinking four or five parts?), but at least I know where I'm going with it. (That's a first for me!) I'll probably post once a week or so, since I'm so busy with school. If you want to get a notice each time I post, either put me on AuthorAlert *hinthint* =) or send me an e-mail. Then, I can e-mail you each time I post! Please read and review, I'd really appreciate it! Signing out, this is Bumblebee. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: None of the characters used in the following story belong to me. They belong to their creator. I am not making any money off of this story; it was written purely for enjoyment.

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Awakenings Prologue 00: Dreaming in Digital

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"Kari?" The voice was hoarse, displaying just a shred of hope.

"I… I can't promise you anything. I just… don't know…"The girl began to cry. "I've hurt you. Nothing's ever going to be the same…"

"Hey, don't cry," said the voice in a tone meant to cheer her up. "I've got to go, I'll see you later. I love you." The boy left the apartment.

Kari peered out the third-story window as the boy left the apartment building. She hoped he could get home safely: it was raining so hard… She saw the boy run through the drenching rain to the street and prepare to cross.

But then Kari noticed the car turning the corner at a speed that made her dizzy. As far as she could tell, the boy didn't notice. "No!" She screamed his name. But the pane was in her way; a thin layer of glass was the only thing that divided her and the boy. The rubber tires squealed on the wet asphalt and the headlights illuminated the boy. He looked to his side and she could see the startling look of recognition on his face. As the car hit him, Kari imagined she could hear the sickening crunch of the bones.

She ran out of the apartment and down the stairs. She didn't care about the rain, she didn't care about the lightning, and she didn't care about anything but him. She knew she had lied, she knew the truth now. And she needed to try and let him know…

Kari Kamiya woke up sweating and breathing as if she had just run three miles. Her dreams had been haunting her for weeks. The same dream, over and over and over again….

But what did it mean?

Was it some kind of premonition for the future? No, of course not. But…

Kari shoved her worrisome thoughts to the back of her head and went back to sleep.

ab

Tai knew something was wrong the moment he saw his younger sister come down to breakfast. Her face was pale and she had circles under her eyes.

"Hey Kari," he said. "What's wrong?"

Kari looked up from her bowl of cereal. "Nothing, Tai. Don't worry about it." She tried to smile, but the act came off unconvincing to her sibling. 

"Come on, Kari. I know something's wrong. Spit it out."

Kari sighed. "I just had a bad dream, that's all." 

"Would it help to talk about it?"

"Probably not. Don't worry Tai. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Tai and Kari heard their mother call from the front room. "Kari! TK's here!"

"See ya, Tai. I'm off to school."

ab

Kari Kamiya was eighteen years old and in her final year of high school. She had a loving family and a sometimes not so wonderful brother. She loved her parents dearly (didn't everyone?) as well has her brother (most of the time). But sometimes Kari felt she needed to be on her own.

Ever since she was very little, she had always had someone watching over her. Her parents at first, and when she went to the digital world, Tai looked after her. But then, when Tai had gotten too old to go, TK and Davis had both looked out for her well being. 

The point was, Kari had never gotten to experience anything by herself. Someone was always with her. Tai, TK, Davis, Yolei, Cody, Sora. No matter who, someone had always been there.

She appreciated them all, of course. But she wanted to be able to make mistakes. To do things on her own. Not to have to feel that she had to be perfect or to know that people were worrying about her being all right.

Kari knew her parents were expecting her to apply for college at the same school Tai went to, the one in town. Tai had a soccer scholarship and was sort of a "big man on campus". But Kari didn't want to.

That's why Kari had sent in applications all over Japan. She didn't want to go too far, but she realized that sometimes, drastic measures were necessary. Plus, TK had a choice of scholarships for basketball and couldn't make up his mind, so he promised that he'd go with her. Kari thought that was good. You couldn't just leave everything behind, could you? Well, she wouldn't be leaving anything behind, really. She'd just be trying something new.

It would be totally different, of course. But Tai and Sora could drive up together a few times, and she could call her parents. And Davis would come up to visit, and Yolei, and Izzy, and Cody, and everyone else too… 

Plus, Kari had another ulterior motive. If Tai and Sora had to come visit, it would bring them even closer together than they already were. Kari had decided that she didn't just want Sora to be Tai's girlfriend, she wanted Sora as a sister. And since it was obvious that Tai wouldn't do anything on his own, so it didn't matter if Kari helped them out a little bit, right?

ab

Kari was sitting in math class, bored out of her mind, when she saw TK motioning to her from the next row over.

"Are you okay, Kari?" he said. "You seemed a little preoccupied on the walk over. Davis had to ask you three times if you were coming to his soccer game today."

"Don't worry about me, TK. I was just thinking."

"'Bout what?"

"All kinds of stuff. College, the possibility of Tai ever getting married, all kinds of stuff." She grinned at him. "Now shut up so I can catch the rest of he lesson."

The teacher's voice sounded out. "Miss Kamiya? Mr. Takaishi? Do you have anything to share with the class?"

TK spoke up quickly. "No Mrs. Sakumi. Kari was just helping me with this math problem." He held up his paper and flashed the teacher a winning grin.

"All right, Mr. Takaishi, but next time you need to ask me, not a friend." 

"Yes ma'am!" TK pretended to salute the teacher, who gave him a stern look and proceeded with her lesson to Davis, who needed help on a problem.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, TK, I am perfectly fine. I'll see you after class, at Davis's soccer game."

ab

Kari walked home alone after the soccer game, in which Davis's team won by a score of two to zero. Davis was quite proud after his goal and offered to take Kari out to celebrate. But Kari said no, she had a headache (which she really did) and walked home.

TK had a basketball tournament, Yolei had computer club, and Cody had Kendo lessons. Izzy was most likely on his computer and Tai was taking Sora out to dinner.

So Kari had the evening all to herself.

Kari's mother had left her a note. _Kari- whatever you want for dinner, Dad and I went out. We'll be back about ten. Letters for you, on the table. Tai home??? Who knows??? TK called, tournament cancelled, you know his number. Have fun. Love Mom._

Kari grinned at the message. Letters? For her? 

Then it came to her- College letters! Kari ran to the table and looked at the three envelopes.

But she couldn't open them by herself! What if they all said no? Or if they said that she'd never be able to get into any college? What if?

It looked to her that there was only one thing to do.

Call TK.

Plus, he had called anyway…

ab

TK did just as he promised- he was over within the hour.

Kari met him at the door. She saw that he looked just as excited as she was, even though she hadn't said what to be excited about, just that she had big news.. 

"Hey, Kari," he said.

Kari grabbed his arm and led him into the kitchen. He chose a chair, and she sat across from him. She picked up the three letters and slid them across the table to him.

"Look," she said, excitedly. "Three college letters. Out of five."

He grinned. "I'll bet you five bucks that there's at least one acceptance there."

"But you never know," she said, becoming serious. "Anyway, have you eaten?"

"Yeah. Matt cooked."

"Scary?"

"Yeah. But I'm not hungry, if that's what you're asking."

"All right, than help me open these."

TK looked at her. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes. Open this one, and tell me if it's good or bad."

TK slit the flap and unfolded the piece of white paper. His eyes quickly skimmed the letter. He kept his eyes perfectly calm as he read, causing Kari to feel like she would burst with anxiety.

He finished and folded the letter. "Good."

Kari screamed with happiness. She got out of her chair and danced in a circle around the table.

TK grinned and joined her.

Kari coughed and put on her serious face again. TK sat down. She handed him the second letter. He repeated the same routine as before, keeping his eyes perfectly calm.

"Bad."

Kari shrugged. "Good. I didn't like that one anyway. And anyway, now I know that I'm not stupid."

TK smiled as he took the third letter. "May I?"

She nodded.

This time he couldn't help but grin. 

"Good?" Kari asked.

"Good."

Kari grinned. "You better be hungry, TK, because we're going to celebrate!"

She grabbed two cans of pop out of the fridge and tossed one to him. She grabbed a bag of chips and sat down at the table.

"So where are you going to go, Kari?"

"I don't know, it depends. Where are you going?"

"Where are you going?"

Kari dissolved into giggles. "I feel like I've lost about five pounds from stress."

"You won't be able to sleep tonight," grinned TK, motioning to her can of pop. "Caffeine, you know."

"You're drinking it too."

"Good point, but I'm used to it."

"Oh, you are?"

TK tried to keep a straight face. "Mr. Big-Shot-Basketball-Man drinks five cans of Coca-Cola a night to stay buff to beat Mr. Big-Hair-Goggle-Boy-Named-Davis."

"No one has bigger hair than Tai," said a giggling Kari.

"And he had goggles first…"

"Is it a conspiracy? Two of Tai equals double trouble?"

"You never know…"

Kari thought she heard a car pull up. "Hang on TK, shhh!"

"What?"

"Tai's home, I say we make him mad."

"How?"

"Watch and learn."

Kari crept up behind the door, and braced her hand on the knob. She motioned for TK to go to the light switch.

"Now!"

TK flipped on the light switch as Kari swung the door open. Tai pulled away from Sora and shielded his eyes from the light. "You," he whispered to Kari, pretending to be menacing. "I'll get you."

Kari grinned. "Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh."

"No, 'cause TK will get you!"

"TK won't get me, because TK knows that I could take him, right TK?"

TK shrugged. "I don't know, I could probably beat you." He grinned. "But I don't think I'd care to find out."

"Smart kid, Kari. You could learn from him."

Kari grinned. "Sora, how are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Yeah. She is. See? Now Kari, let us in the dang house!" 

ab

**A/N: **Yeah, the prologue is kind of boring… The next part is the first part, where the action really begins… (And it does too…) *shoves hand in front of mouth* Anyway, I told you what to do if you want to contact me to be on the "mailing list", so to speak. Feel free to e-mail me with praise, flames, questions, whatever. My e-address is [bee824@yahoo.com][1]. Also: I'm looking for a Digimon beta reader…. **Grins** Please review?? *motions toward box near the bottom* I'd really appreciate it! Special thanks to Taiora's Daughter and Sora Takenouchi, for e-mailing me after my last fic!

Have a nice day! 

Bumblebee ab

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   [1]: mailto:bee824@yahoo.com



	2. 01: Sophomore Blues

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A/N: Hi, all! I'm really glad that you **appeared** to like the prologue! The action is just beginning… BTW, if you haven't read the prologue, it's not really necessary, but it would help. Kari and TK are now 20; Tai, Sora, Matt, etc. are all 24. Thanks for reading! 

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Important Information: Okay, I may have said I would try to get one chapter out a week. But after seeing how difficult it is to balance this story and my current workload at high school, I **may** not be able to do it. It's really hard to study for finals, get all my homework done, **and** write this. Although this is my favorite of those three, it can not take precedence. I'm going to try to write as quickly as I can, but I don't want this story to turn out really cruddy. I'm trying!

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Disclaimer: Neither the show _Digimon_ nor the characters from that show belong to me! Also, Kari's Shakespeare book is not a real one, as far as I know, and none of Matt's band names are intentionally taken from real bands.

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Awakenings 01: The Sophomore Blues

"When you're flying high

Take my heart along

I'll be the harmony

To every lonely song

You ever learned to play…"

-Nickel Creek, "When You Come Back Down"

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Two years later…

Kari felt the cool autumn breeze flutter across her face as she walked down the street from the college building to her apartment. She carried a bookbag, which contained books, pens, pencils, a notebook… 

As she reached the glass entryway, she heard a voice calling her name. "Kari!"

She turned, a motion that caused a few of her chestnut brown locks to blow into her eyes. She brushed them away as she waved to TK, her best friend and college buddy. The tall blond boy ran over, grinning.

"Guess who's coming to visit?" He held a sheet of paper over his head. She jumped, trying to retrieve it, but neither the fact that TK was taller than she was nor that he had longer arms than she did were in her favor.

"You expect me to guess?"

"Yep."

"Um, Davis." She jumped, trying to retrieve the paper from his grasp.

"No."

"Yolei?"

"Nope!"

"Cody?"

He shook his head, a grin on his face.

"Taiora?"

"What?"

"Tai and Sora. Tai plus Sora equals Taiora."

"You are very creative, but no."

"Really? Who's coming?"

"I'm not going to tell you!"

"Please?"

"Well…"

"Pretty please?"

"Alright, fine." A smile brightened his features as he handed her the sheet of paper. "Go ahead, read it."

Kari shook out the white sheet and read the black ink.

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T.K.,

How is you? Yes, I know. That is bad grammar. 

Well, college boy, how's life on campus? Tai wants to say hi, I'm writing you this in Anthropology 101. He's reading over my shoulder. He is also daydreaming about Sora, only he doesn't know that I know. What Tai? What was that? That's not true? Oh well. I say it's true, and that's what matters, right? 

About your earlier request, I can't help you out on this one. You're on your own. Good luck, though. Wish I could help, but you're the only one who can do anything. Ha, ha, Tai has no idea what I'm talking about and it's making him "sad". It's hilarious!

Hey, I'll be up this weekend. Chandler, from my band, has family up there, and so we're playing something at somewhere, don't ask where, 'cause I don't know. Anyway, you can come, if you want, but you've seen the stuff a gazillion times (Tai says that's not a number, oh well) so you'd be bored. So, see you on Saturday, maybe.

Say hi to Kari for me. Hey, squirt, why the heck haven't you gotten your phone hooked up? I've called the number a bunch of times, but the operator is going on about the number not being valid. Wait, Tai's laughing about something… I've got to find out what. He's not telling, but that's okay. I'll find out. I hope he gets in trouble and has to go to the front of the room like I had to last week… Never mind, you weren't supposed to know that…

See you soon, squirt. Ha-ha, you're still smaller than I am!

MATT

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Kari grinned. "Sorry about that phone thing, I let it slip to Tai, he thinks it's funny."

"Well, Matt doesn't know that I gave him a fake number. At least not yet…"

"Hey, what was the 'earlier request'?"

"Oh, nothing, don't worry about it."

"So Matt's coming up in two days?"

"Yeah, him and his whole band."

"What's that band named, anyway?"

"Actually, I don't know if they are. They're not professional or anything, so they don't need one. They've got a couple of ideas, but no manager or anything."

"Well, they need a name, let's think of one."

"How about…"

Kari smiled. "Broken Dialogue?"

"Hey, you're good!"

"Thanks. I'm not a Lit major for nothing."

"What about Cream Puff."

Kari giggled. "They'd love that…"

"Or, maybe Pink Fluffy Bunnies?"

Kari was now trying desperately to stop laughing.

"I can picture it now: the Momma's Boys…"

"Come on, be serious…"

"Who me?"

"Well, try, okay?" Kari was giggling.

"Okay, okay… Fine…"

"Matt's band needs a name…"

"Electric Toboggan."

"Where did THAT come from? How about Enigma?"

"What the heck is that?"

"It means 'puzzle'. I like it."

"So do I."

"Hey, you want to go in? It's cold."

TK nodded in agreement and they rode the elevator up to the third floor. Kari used her key to open the door to her apartment.

The rooms weren't overly large, but they worked. A sophomore in college didn't have the most money in the world, but Kari had saved and borrowed from her parents to furnish her apartment. Her refrigerator always had some food, her bed had blankets, her walls were covered with photos, her bulletin board had announcements and reminders tacked all over it. She had a phone (and her family knew the correct number). She had a desk, she had a couch, she had a small television. 

TK flopped down on top of the couch as soon as he got into the door. He knew Kari's apartment as well as his own, and vice versa. Kari tossed her bag down onto the floor and grabbed two cans of pop from the fridge, tossing one to him.

TK grabbed Kari's bag and peered at the books inside. "Hey, Kari, how come you never turned out to be a veterinarian?"

"I don't know. I guess I just couldn't stand the sight of blood." She grinned. "How come you're not a basketball player?"

"I am."

"No, like professionally."

"I can't dribble a ball around a court for the rest of my life, can I? I've got to have a greater ambition that that."

"So you're going to be a lawyer." Kari giggled. " TK Takaishi, protector of the weak and innocent! Just like that statue of justice…"

"Well, except I'm a guy and I can see."

"Something like that. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"As in tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, you want to get together to study for that test in World Literature? The one on Shakespeare?"

"Yeah, sure, why not? Stock your fridge with caffeine, we'll need it."

Kari grinned. "Hey, you want to see if anyone else can come?"

"Nah, it's easier with less people. Less distractions. Anyway, I've got to go, basketball practice. See ya, Kari."

TK waved goodbye and let himself out of the apartment.

Kari sat on the couch, holding a copy of _Shakespearean Literature and it's Effects on the Outside World_ on her lap. She didn't want to study though; what she really wanted to do was talk to Sora. She grabbed the cordless phone and dialed the number.

She got a recording. "Hello, this is Sora Takenouchi! Thanks for calling! If this is Tai, yes, I do have other things to do besides talk to you! If it's Kari, call back or whatever, I'm dying to talk to you! If you're anyone else, just leave a message, please! Thanks!"

Kari sighed and left a message. Sora wasn't home; she was probably out with Tai. What time was it? She checked her watch to find the time was 5:37. Dinner, she expected. Probably at the little restaurant down the street from Yolei's convenience store. She hoped Sora would be back soon, she wanted to talk to her. She hung up the phone. 

Kari got out her Shakespeare book again. She skimmed the pages, preparing for the literature test the next day.

Kari sighed; she was bored. And tired. Tired of school, tired of being away, Kari was suffering from a case of the sophomore blues. 

But was it really school? Sora had Tai, TK had his brother, Izzy had his computer. But whom did Kari have?

ab

Kari woke to the sound of the phone ringing. She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and grabbed the cordless. She heard Sora's voice in her ear. "Kari?"

"Hello?"

"Hey! It's me! How are you?"

"Fine. A little tired."

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Did I wake you up?"

Kari grinned. "Yeah, no big deal, though. I was studying something about Shakespeare."

"Ooh, fun."

"Yeah," said Kari sarcastically. "Anyway, how'd I do on my predictions?"

"Yeah, you were right. How can you do it?"

"What, guess where you are?"

"Yeah! You can do that every time?"

"Look at the time, the day of the week, all that stuff. Did you have fun?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"Have fun? You're with Tai!" Kari laughed.

"Oh, be nice."

"To Tai? Yeah right!"

"So hey, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"TK and I are going to get together and study for a test."

Sora whistled.

"Don't be like that Sora, you know we're just friends…"

Sora giggled. "Yeah, right, Kari… I don't believe you…"

"You should," said Kari crossly. "What have I done to make you think otherwise?"

"You guys are always together!"

"So? You and Tai were always together! Plus, we're in a bunch of the same classes. How could we not see each other?"

"Right. That's the point. We were always together, Kari. Think about it for a while, 'kay? Anyway, I've got to go, my mom has to make a few calls." Kari could picture Sora making a face at the phone. "Talk to you later, I'll call you back."

"Yeah, sure. See ya, Sora."

"Bye." Kari could hear the 'click' as Sora placed the phone back onto the holder. 

Kari remembered Sora's words as she got up to put her cordless phone back on the hook. _Yeah, right, Kari, I don't believe you… You guys are always together…_ _We were always together…_

She hadn't been thinking anything of getting together to study with TK. It had seemed like such a good idea, it's not like they were romantically involved or anything… What's wrong with two best friends getting together?

But why now, after talking to Sora, did it seem like such a bad idea?

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A/N: Okay, so this isn't exactly that exciting… The next one is though, I promise. It depended at the point where I had ended, and I ended at a different place than I had expected… Anyway, feel free to e-mail me at [bee824@yahoo.com][1] to tell me you want e-mails when I post or put me on AuthorAlert! Praise/Flames/ Comments in General always welcomed! I'm still looking for a beta reader! **_Please_** review! 

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   [1]: mailto:bee824@yahoo.com



	3. 02: Nothing to Win, Nothing to Lose

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A/N: Part two is here! Sorry for the delays, everyone! I've been REALLY busy with school, basketball, and vacation! (I went to Florida the week before last) This part is really where the action picks up, plus I will try to pay special attention to detail at the request of a reviewer! Thanks to 600665, Dave Chace a.k.a. Jolly Trolly, Angel of Light, I am Canadian, and one anonymous reviewer! You have absolutely no idea how much your reviews helped me to write this part! Super-Special Thanks to "my biggest fan", Jeff, and my **awesome** beta readers- Kryssa and Lime Lizard! Sorry guys, 'cause I didn't send this one to you: I wanted to get it posted since it's kind of two weeks late…

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Disclaimer: (Provided in Spanish for your bilingual reading pleasure) **_Digimon_** no es Bumblebee's. (Translation: **_Digimon _**is not Bumblebee's)

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Special Note to Readers: Yes, there will be a sequel after the 5(?) parts. I've got it all planned out and I'm really excited about it! =)

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Awakenings 02: Nothing to Win, Nothing to Lose

"I'll be on the other end

To hear you when you call

Angel, you were born to fly

And if you get too high

I'll catch you when you fall…"

-Nickel Creek, "When You Come Back Down"

Kari didn't get much sleep that night; her normally pleasant dreams were continually interrupted by nightmarish visions, none of which she could remember when she awoke.

After about an hour of tossing and turning beneath the flowered comforter, Kari decided that sleep had become a lost cause and walked through the darkness of the living room to the kitchen, intent on fixing herself a cup of coffee.

Kari didn't really like coffee, cappuccino was more her forte, but college life often required a blast of strong caffeine to keep her eyes open through cram sessions and monotonous classes. Plus, when Kari got up early from insomnia, coffee was required to keep her eyes open throughout the day.

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as Kari turned on the television and flipped to the weather station, which was predicting rain for most of the morning, turning heavy in the afternoon. "Just great," said Kari, before realizing that she was talking to herself, a thought that made her grin.

Kari wasn't a big fan of rain, it made the whole world gray and dreary, the exact opposite of what she preferred. Kari was a sunshiny person; rain put her entire day under a damper.

But TK was coming over today, for the sake of Shakespeare, he had told her. Kari grinned, remembering to stop at the grocery before she ran home to stock the refrigerator. Plus, she had to remember to unearth her copy of _Macbeth _from under the bed and grab _Hamlet_ from the desk before the 'study session' that night.

But something was still bothering her- the nightmares. Normally she remembered them when she woke up; she had always had an excellent memory. Her two worst nightmares had caused her to awake in a cold sweat, tears rolling down her cheeks, but she could still remember them. 

Yet the haunting images that had disturbed her sleep remained on the edge of her consciousness, playing an endless game that required immense concentration and inspired fear in all who had the ability and courage to play.

ab

"Kari?"

Kari turned from her Psychology text to see the grinning face of her best friend.

"Hey, TK," she said, smiling. "What's up?"

"We still getting together to study tonight?"

"Of course! Would I cancel on you?"

"On Davis, yes. On me, no?"

Kari giggled at the reminder of the brown haired boy who had tried many times to win her affection, each time his efforts fruitless. "It wasn't like that, TK, and you know it."

"Huh?"

"I would not do that to poor Davis. Besides, he got over me eventually."

TK laughed. "Key word: eventually."

"Hey!"

"I don't think anyone who's ever loved you has ever gotten fully over you, Kari."

"And how would you know, Mr. Basketball-Star?"

TK shrugged. "Observation."

"And just who were you observing?"

"Half our class at Odaiba High, about a quarter of all males on campus, excluding present company, of course, and a handful of assorted other people. Why?"

Kari grinned. "Just curious, that's all."

"Hey, I could sell chances just to eat lunch with you. Seriously, I could. Don't give me that look, Kari…"

Kari grinned and shoved her text into her bookbag. "Oh, be quiet TK. I seem to remember a certain Jessica Campanera willing to sell her soul to me if I could get your picture…"

"You're not serious."

"Nope. I'm not."

"Hey… don't mess with my head like that…"

"Anyway, TK, I've got to go to class. Literature's in half an hour. Want to walk along?"

"Yeah, let me grab my books." He grabbed a stack of books off a nearby table and stood up."You make me feel short," she complained comically, causing him to laugh. 

"Sorry," he said, grinning, "but I'll always be taller than you."

"Isn't that what your mom used to tell you when you kept whining about Matt being 'so much older than you'?"

"Probably."

"You are very weird."

"I know, but you put up with me."

"I have to!"

"Oh, well…"

And so they left into the blazing color of a rainy autumn day, all worries momentarily forgotten.

ab

Kari had to run home immediately after class to check her phone messages before TK came over. It was still raining and cloudy, but Kari had had the sense to grab her umbrella before she left the house that morning, so she didn't get _too_ wet.

As she let herself into the apartment, she immediately had a feeling of unease, like something very wrong was going to happen that day, but she had no idea what. The very thought sent a shiver down her back.

Trying to shake off the weird sensation, Kari went to the answering machine, which displayed a blinking 2.

"Hey, Kari, it's your older, superior brother Tai… I need _help_! My Literature teacher wants me to write a short story. Yes, I know what you're thinking, but help me! You're the smart one in this family… you just can't kick a ball straight! Heh heh… Anyway, I've got to go. Call me back!"

"Kari, it's Matt… Tell TK to give me the correct phone number for his phone! I can't believe that I didn't figure it out… Anyway, call me, I'll see you both soon… tomorrow actually. So I guess I'll have to kill my little brother then…. Don't worry, I'm just kidding! See you…"

Kari grinned at her messages before calling back her older brother to tell him to either get his act together or plagiarize something (_She_ didn't have the time to 'help' him…) and letting Matt know that if he let TK know that he had figured out about the fake number, TK would give him the correct number. 

She also tried to call Sora, but, to no surprise, the redhead wasn't home. Probably somewhere with Tai…

But she didn't have any time to worry about where her friends and brother had run off to- TK would be at her house within the hour.

So Kari ran around the house, trying frantically to retrieve her paperbacked copies of Shakespeare novels and her text from the places where she had left them.

The teacher hadn't wanted to study Romeo and Juliet- "It's too clichéd!" she had complained. "Everyone studies it! It's been so overused!" But the overwhelming response by females in the class had caused her to change her mind. Kari hadn't been one to complain though- she had studied it her senior year. She found that book under her desk.

_Tempest_ was one novel that their teacher had wanted to study, but hadn't gotten around to. Along with _Twelfth Night_, the two novels had been skipped because of the girls in her class. Kari sighed- she had been looking forward to the new books. So she had bought them herself, just for fun. 

Her textbook lay on the floor next to the kitchen, right where she had left it upon arrival to her home. She grinned and grabbed it up, remembering the day when she had bought all her textbooks- the elevator was broken and she had just about broken her back trying to lug all the heavy books up the two flights of stairs.

She could hear the doorbell ringing and ran to get it. "Hmm…" she called. "I wonder who that could be…"

Kari looked out the peephole and saw a very wet TK grinning at her. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"No," he called. "I'm an axe murderer and I've come to chop you up into little bits and then throw you into a Dumpster before I run off to Acapulco with my mistress, who just happens to be your brother's girlfriend. Then I will haunt your family by mailing them stuff like your fingernail clippings and your hair…"

Kari smiled, opened the door, and let him in. "Is this what you guys all think about in your spare time?"

"No, but it's close." He grinned. "Although chopping people up isn't on the list of my desired pastimes…" 

"You never know," said Kari grinning. "Because I have no idea of what you do at night…"

TK tossed his books over onto the couch. "Hey, Kari, got a towel in this apartment of yours?" he asked. "I'll ruin your couch or whatever, since I'm so wet."

Kari tossed him a bath towel and took his coat. "Where's your umbrella?" she asked. 

TK shrugged. "I lost it."

"Well, yeah. I noticed."

"I left it somewhere, don't ask me where."

"Hey, give me your sweatshirt."

"Huh?"

"Give me your sweatshirt and I'll dry it off on the heater. You can sit around in your T-shirt for a while, or if you're really cold, I'll get you a blanket."

TK peeled off the sopping layer and tossed it to his best friend. "Jeez," she said. "This thing is heavy."

He grinned at her. "It'll take forever to dry too- it's fully saturated."

She grinned back. "I can do it. The heater is warm."

"Duh."

"I know, I know."

"Hey, we should probably get to work."

"Yeah, probably…"

"Don't sound so depressed. You're the Lit major."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just tired."'

"Caffeine?"

"Nah. Then I'll be hyper."

TK grinned at her. "HyperKari… Fun…"

"Not really. Can you reach my book? It's over there, on the table…"

ab

Kari yawned. "Hey," said TK. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just really tired. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Do you want to talk about it?" TK asked, his eyes questioning.

"Not really."

"Okay. You hungry?"

"Kind of. There's some frozen pizza in the freezer. Do you want to heat it up, or should I?"

"I'll do it." TK got up. "Hey do you think my sweatshirt's dry yet?"

"Probably. I'll check it." Kari went to fetch the shirt from the heater, picking up papers on the way. 

She could hear TK rummaging noisily through the freezer, searching for the pizza. "Hey, Kari, are you sure it's in here?"

"Yeah- look under stuff."

"Oh." She could hear stuff being moved. "Found it!"

"I'm so proud of you," she called back sarcastically. "And your shirt's dry."

"Cool. I'm cold."

"Was that meant as a pun?"

"No. I'm seriously cold." A blonde head poked into the doorway and Kari threw the shirt at TK, hitting him in the head. 

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself." Kari grinned. "You couldn't hit me."

"I could too!"

"You could not."

TK wadded up the shirt and whipped it at her. It hit Kari in the shoulder. "Ha!" yelled TK. "I told you so."

Kari grinned. "Matt left you a message."

"Huh?"

"He called my house and left you a message. On my machine."

TK laughed. "Let me hear it."

Kari motioned for him to follow her. She hit the play button and they both listened as Matt's voice told TK to give him the number. TK grinned. "Let me call him back?"

"Yeah, sure."

TK dialed the number and had obviously reached a machine. "Hey Matt, it's me, TK. So you figured it out, huh? Took you long enough… Anyhow, here's my number…"

Kari left the room and picked up _Macbeth_. She skimmed the pages while getting herself a glass of water. TK came back into the room. "It's getting dark," he observed. 

"Yeah," said Kari, looking up from her book. "Nasty weather, too."

He grinned. "Yeah."

They sat for a few moments in silence before, "Hey, TK, do you think the pizza's done?"

"Yeah, let me check it."

He peered into the oven for a few moments before he decided that the pizza was done. "Kari, toss me a towel or a potholder or something."

She obliged and TK pulled the food from the oven, baked to perfection. "Umm…" Kari said from her perch on the counter. "Looks good."

"Darn right. I made it, how bad could it be?"

"Ha ha, TK."

He grinned at her and cut the pizza.

ab

All the dishes sat in the sink, all the books were tossed around the room, and Kari had fallen asleep on the couch. TK yawned- he should probably go home…

But he didn't want to go- not yet.

He had promised Matt that he would say something. And say something he would. 

Except Kari was asleep. He looked at her and grinned. She looked so young there, her hair falling in front of her face…

He had to wake her up. He ran a finger down her cheek, causing her eyes to flutter open. She yawned. "TK?" she said sleepily. "What time is it?"

"Late," he replied simply. "Ten-thirty."

Kari smiled. "That's not late. Now two AM, that's late."

TK grinned at her. "I have a story to tell you."

"Does it have to do with Shakespeare?"

"Not quite…"

"Do I want to hear it?"

"You're going to anyway. I promised Matt that I would tell you the story."

"Uh-oh…"

"Once upon a time there was a little boy of about seven. He was a sad little boy; he had no father to speak of. Only that year, he made a new friend. He and his new friend got into many scrapes, but they always managed to get out of them. But then the boy had to leave, so he had to say goodbye to his friend."

"But when he was twelve, he found his friend again. They ended up at the same school. And that was when he realized that Fate had something planned for him and his friend. They grew older and wiser. He began to play sports and she wrote. And wrote and wrote. And they grew to be better friends."

"They did almost everything together. And over time, he began to think even more of his friend. Perhaps, he thought, they could be more then friends. But he left high school before he could tell her, and then they went to college."

"College was very busy, but they still found time to be together. He still thought of her as more than a friend, but he was afraid to tell her. So when he asked his older brother for advice, he said to tell her. But he was afraid. Eventually, he decided to try and tell her."

"But," said TK hoarsely, "I need you to tell me how the story ends."

Kari was dizzy as a feeling of déjà vu slipped over her. TK's words echoed over and over in her head. _I need you to tell me how the story ends._

The story was about her. And TK. And he was saying…

He loved her.

TK Takaishi, her best friend since they were seven, was in love with her.

But what was she supposed to say?

"Kari?" he said, his voice emotional, hopeful…

But she didn't know. She didn't know anything. So she would say the only thing that would come out of her mouth.

"I… I can't promise you anything. I just… don't know…" She began to cry. "I've hurt you. Nothing's ever going to be the same…"

And somehow, she knew it wasn't. She wanted to sit and cry, cry for the things that had gone and would never come again. But she couldn't.

"Hey, don't cry," TK said, trying desperately to cheer her up, but failing. "It's okay, I have to go."

He stood up, watching Kari's teary face. He laid a hand on her cheek.

"I love you," he whispered as he walked out the door.

And Kari had the strange sensation that she had lived this moment once before.

She walked over to the window, to watch him leave. She couldn't concentrate on anything any longer.

She could see his blonde head run out into the rain, without an umbrella. She could see him stop to look across the street. The old song she had sung as a child came back to her. _Stop, look, and listen, before you cross the street_. She hoped he would make it across and to his home without too much trouble, it was raining so hard… 

And then she saw the car. It was red, some teenager out on a joyride, most likely. But this car was traveling faster then any car she had ever seen. It turned the corner, the wheels squealing on the wet pavement. And she had the uncanny feeling that he couldn't hear it.

She wanted to scream to him, she wanted to cry out, she wanted to do anything to make him notice the car. But she was three stories up, and the car was moving faster then ever, making her dizzy. She cried out. "No!"

And, as if by a miracle, he looked to his side. For one brief moment, the headlights illuminated his thin frame. She saw the startled look of recognition on his face. Suddenly, the moment she had been dreading came. She heard the sickening crack of bones as the car hit him and his body rammed into the pavement. 

She screamed and fled. Out of the apartment, out of the building, she had to get to the street below. And she had realized something. She had lied. The ultimate crime, lying to the one you love.

She didn't care about the rain, she didn't care about the lightning, she didn't care about anything but him. She loved him, she knew that now. Everything about him. And she had to let him know. 

But was it already too late?

****

A/N: THANK YOU for reading, THANK YOU for reviewing! (Hopefully!) Okay, look at it this way. Reviews make Bumble happy. Happy Bumble does HAPPY WRITING. Well, that and faster writing… Bumble was NOT depressed when she wrote this, she actually likes this part. (It's full of action! And it's pretty darn well written too… *cough*) 

E-mail Bumble at [bee824@yahoo.com][1]. E-mails make Bumble happy too. 

Have a nice day! 

Bumblebee =) ef 

****

"Moving right along folks. Keep it moving. Our next stop on the tour will be the forest of irrelevant road signs. No pictures, please…" -Matt Ishida, _Digimon_

   [1]: mailto:bee824@yahoo.com



	4. 03: Fallen Angels

****

A/N: I love you all! Thanks for such nice reviews! I am SO sorry for this being so late: I had SAT tests (I'm taking them as a freshman for a boarding school application, yuck!), the school musical, HOMEWORK, and all kinds of other stuff! In short, I was swamped. But now I'm on Spring Break! Actually, you are all probably skipping this note to find out what happened to poor TK, but I would **highly** advise you **NOT **to do that… You're all probably about ready to shoot me, though, for making TK get hit by a car… Argh! I need to write! Have fun reading, and please, PLEASE review!

****

Dedication: THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! I love you all for it! And look, I left you all little messages! Thanks to: **Eris, Queen of the Shadows** (Look, I wrote more! Very soon! {Well, not really…} And now you can find out what happens!), **Takari 4 Life** (Nice name, BTW! Anyway, I'm glad you liked my fic! *does the happy dance* I feel so guilty for tormenting poor Kari… but not too guilty! To what humor were you referring? If you think that TK getting hit by a car is funny… I'm worried! Just kidding…And yeah, I like happy endings too… but will this story have one? *grins evilly*), **Ryuuoojo** (Did I spell that right? And no! Don't stop reading! It's not the end yet! Wait…), **I Am Canadian** (Ah, one of my favorite reader/reviewers is back! I worked on the sequel very hard, just for you! Well, you readers collectively, anyway… *grin*), **colleen** (Glad you like it!), **az_angel4u** (Wow, you sure DO want more! *grin*), **S.C. Hardy** (Ah! I LOVED your review! It made me laugh… So hard… It was great!), **fina** (Ah! Make me feel guilty, why don'tcha? Just kidding…), **Juli Comando** (Another favorite reader/reviewer! Love the 'views! Sign-in probation? Hope you get off… *grin*), **Nanaki Lioness** (Glad you like it! Please, have some more!), **Ashley** (Yes, I'm going on! Please, keep reading!), **depression** (Hope I didn't make you depressed… Glad you think it's sweet! And I know, I've read some particularly nasty cliffhangers myself… Is this one that bad? Eek…), **Dark Saint** (*giggles* I know, aren't I cruel? Cliffhangers… Where'd you get the Takari 4Ever Sign? *grin* I want one! And no more caffeine late at night, it makes me go psycho, at least…), **Jenglory** (I'll try harder with description this time, I promise! And I'm so proud that you thought I did a good job!), **Smabbi - San / Smeegee – San** (Wow! AuthorAlerts… I loved reading your review, it made me all warm and fuzzy inside!), **tjddykojkjkjkjkjkjkhhghggghhhhhhhffghjhthgjrgrhhgddtrrtt hytfv jjfv ggffv myytrf** (My, what a long name! And I'm not making any promises!), **Moon Angel** (It's not! Read further!), **Gizmo** (Yeah! I'm kickin'! Wait, what's "kickin'"? Just kidding!), and **Gizmo** (Are you the same Gizmo? I'm glad that you like my story!). THANK YOU ALL!

****

THANK YOU!: A special thanks to **Herongale** for all the medical knowledge! Now, as a thank-you gift, go read her stories! Well, after you read this one… Especially "Kari Has Leukemia" (no, it's not dramatic), which is really funny… Wait, don't give me that look! I'm not like that…!

****

Disclaimer: _Digimon: Digital Monsters_ does not belong to me. If I owned those characters… well, let's just say that Jun wouldn't exist and Matt would be MINE! ALL MINE! *cough* Sorry for that outburst… However, Dr. Jonathan O'Neill, Dr. Nichols, Dr. Philip Kelsey, and Julie Connolley all _do_ belong to me. If you're interested in using them, please contact me at [bee824@yahoo.com][1]. 

****

Awakenings 03: Fallen Angels

"i have the sense to recognize

that i don't know how to let you go

every moment marked

with apparitions of your soul

i'm ever swiftly moving

trying to escape this desire

the yearning to be near you

i do what i have to do…"

-"do what you have to do", Sarah McLachlan

****

The next hour was hazy for Kari Kamiya. She could see, and hear, and feel, of course, but it was almost like she was having an out-of-body experience and watching the events unfold from somewhere in the sky. She could sense running up the stairs to call the ambulance, her shoelaces tip-tapping on the stair treads. The door was left gaping open as she grabbed the cordless to make the call.

"911, what's your emergency…" The operator had tried to calm her when Kari reported a hit-and-run, but Kari was sobbing so hard that she could barely breathe. The operator had asked for the town and address, along with a few questions that Kari didn't know the answer to, like if TK was allergic to any medicine or if he had a Do-Not-Resuscitate order. Kari didn't know, but he remembered that he had a medical bracelet on his left wrist, a just in case for basketball. But it wasn't for basketball that the silver bracelet finally found its purpose.

The operator assured Kari that the police and the ambulance were on their way and proceeded to try and calm the hysterical girl. It didn't work, however, and Kari ran down the stairs to try and help the limp body on the pavement. She cried and sobbed and screamed questions. "Why? Why him? Why now? Why not me?"

But there was no one there to answer.

ab

She could hear the sirens coming from about a mile away, their bright red and blue lights making the dark night brighter. Kari shaded her tear-stained eyes, waiting to let them adjust to the bright lights. The solitary ambulance was flanked by two police cars. The ambulance crew jumped out and began their work on the limp figure that was TK, while Kari was whisked away by police cars, sobs still escaping her throat.

"What did the car look like?" they asked her. "Do you remember anything?"

"It was red," she replied. "Red, and fast, and the guy driving was drunk."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said, "No sober person could, would…" she began to cry harder; barely any words were escaping from her larynx now. 

The first police officer patted her on the back. The other seemed unsure of what to do, so he held out a handkerchief. Kari took it, wiped her eyes, and continued. 

"I remember it was red. It wobbled across the median line once or twice, the license plate…"

"Do you know the number?"

"Oh no oh no…" She began to cry again. "I forgot it…"

"It's okay!" said the first officer in a comforting tone. "Do you remember any numbers?"

"There was a 15. And maybe a 6…"

"That's enough, Jim," said the second officer sternly. "Can't you see that you're hurting more then you're helping?"

The first officer, Jim, silenced him with a wave of the hand. "Ma'am? We'll be going now. We may be giving you a call later. Do you know where you'll be?"

"Oh, yeah," said Kari, trying desperately to keep her voice determined. "I'll be with TK."

ab

Jon knew that it was bad as soon as he saw the limp figure on the wet pavement. He bent down to take a closer look. 

But as soon as he went on his knees, the figure opened his eyes. He moved back quickly and called for a paramedic. 

"Sir," he called. "Can you hear me?"

The person looked at him. "Please, Tai, don't kill the fluffy bunny…"

"Sir, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"No, no Patamon, don't eat the harmonica…" And the figure went back into what appeared to be a coma.

Jon called to the woman scribbling on a chart. "GCS 13/15: he's awake, but not with it." He continued his inspection, along with the help of Karen, the head of the ambulance crew. He hadn't been very enthusiastic when Dr. Nichols had first sent him to work on the ambulance crew today- after all, he was an excellent ER resident, but he had said that Jon should be more trained in how traumas get to the ER. Jon had complained, saying that he had to watch over Julie, the med student that he was supervising, but it didn't work. 

He thought about what they were doing at the ER about now- all the people bustling around, old Dr. Nichols watching over Julie, Connor on the phone with his girlfriend, the way he normally was… Jon sighed. He thrived in the ER- the adrenaline, the power, the thrill of saving a life. But on the ambulance it was different; everything was more black and white, more obvious, more everything. 

Jon continued with his physical exam until he found something bad- very bad. He swore under his breath as soon as he detected what it was.

"Tamishi," he called. "Call the Trauma Team and make sure they'll be there." He could see the shock on the young girl's face. "Pelvic fracture," he explained, as if that would make things any better for the scared girl. "Now go!"

She went. Jon sighed looking at the young girl- he could tell that she wouldn't be a paramedic for much longer.

Bill, the driver, ran over. "There's a girl over here, she's the ride-along."

"Yeah, so load her in." Bill shrugged as Jon and Tamishi loaded the person onto the backboard. Tamishi immobilized his head and neck into the c-collar to ensure that it wouldn't move during the bumpy ride to the hospital.

Jon could see the brunette girl climbing into the front of the ambulance. "Now go!" he called to the driver, and the vehicle sped to the nearest trauma-equipped hospital.

ab

Kari buckled her seatbelt as soon as she climbed into the cab of the vehicle. She knew that the ambulance would probably be going pretty fast. She looked at the ambulance driver and he tossed her a box of Kleenexes. "Thanks," she sniffled.

"You're not the relative, are you," It was a statement, rather than a question.

Kari looked at him in disbelief. "How…?"

"When you've been driving these things for as long as I have, you know," he said. "So, what are you?"

"I'm not exactly sure," she replied. "And that's what I need to find out."

The ambulance sped down the road at speeds Kari hadn't ever even considered driving at in her entire life. Of course, normally she used public transit like most people, but her brother and Matt had split the cost of a car, and she had ridden in it a few times. But of course, Matt and Tai had gone out of their way to scare her…

_Matt_!

TK had said that he was coming up this week with his band…

They were going to meet him…

But how was he going to meet TK if TK was in the hospital?

ab

The ambulance pulled up to the ER doors in what Kari thought was record speed. A myriad of different people, all doctors, poured out of the lighted doors into the cold rainy night.

Kari turned to see the brown-haired doctor push the gurney out of the vehicle and onto the ground. She could see an older man call out to the doctor- "Jon, this one's yours, I'll send Yoko out on the ambulance." The brown haired doctor nodded grimly and a group of doctors ran the stretcher into the building.

"Hello." A kind voice spoke behind her.

Kari spun around to see another doctor (or a med student, she wasn't sure, the girl looked about her age). The girl's shoulder length caramel-colored hair fell in layers, framing her face, and her blue-violet eyes looked like they were normally happy, but for the moment, they weren't.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Julie Connolley. I'm a med student, and I'll be working on…" She paused thinking of the name.

"TK."

"Yes, that's it. Anyway, I'll be working on him, but for the moment I'll be showing you a place to wait or whatever else."

Kari wiped her eyes with the Kleenex that Bill had given her. "Thanks. I'm Kari, by the way."

Julie held the door open for Kari as they walked into the hospital. At the moment, Kari could see that it was a madhouse. Doctors ran here and there, and an impatient-looking woman stood at the desk, waiting for service. Julie looked at the waiting room, figuring out where to seat the girl without having her disturbed by anyone.

Julie found a seat in the corner of the waiting room for Kari. "I'll come find you if anything big happens. There's a phone over there…" Julie pointed. "…and there's a bathroom over there. I'll be back soon."

Kari watched as the med student walked around the corner as fast as she could go without really running. She had the suspicion that as soon as she turned the corner, she really _would_ start running.

ab

Jon wheeled the gurney into the trauma room and prepared for the secondary survey. He was flanked by the rest of the Trauma Team: an assortment of doctors, nurses and x-ray technicians. Within moments Julie joined the myriad of people in the room.

Assorted nurses and doctors began taking the patient's vitals. Jon began to take mental notes of all the assorted facts that were being called out.

"Heart rate 135," Fast.

"Respiratory rate 24," Fast.

"BP 90/50," Equivocal, and a little low.

"Temperature 37," In Celsius, of course, the temperature was normal.

"Peripheral pulses present."

"Skin pale, a little cool."

"Tenderness at hip bones." 

"Open pelvic fracture. It's bleeding, too."

"Scrapes and contusions all over body." Probably from the impact of the car and the impact of the rough pavement.

"Blood in the ears?" Jon asked.

"No."

"How about the eyes?"

"Pupils are equal, round, and responsive to light."

Jon added everything up in his mind. "Okay guys, he needs emergency surgery. I'll call for Philip." Philip Kelsey was the Attending Surgeon on duty, and Jon's professional nemesis. They had a rivalry that went back to med school, when the two had been tied for top honors. Jon had won that battle, but they still managed to hate each other. Julie knew that it was bad at this precise moment- Jon almost never called for Philip, he usually either did it himself or called one of the less experienced surgeons.

"In the meantime, I need 2 large-bore, IVs, an NG tube, and X-rays. Someone collect blood."

Julie interrupted. "What about a catheter?"

"Can't. Fracture's too bad. I also need these labs: a CBC, chemistries, amylase, LFTs, lactic acid, coagulation studie3s, and a type-and-cross. Is someone taking this down? DON'T FORGET THE TYPE-AND-CROSS. " With that, Jon left the trauma room at a run.

ab

"Hello. Philip Kelsey, attending surgeon."

"Phil, it's Jon."

"Well, well. Dr. Jonathan O'Neill. I never imagined that I'd have such an _honor_ as to speak to _you_." Philip's jabbing sarcasm always managed to get under Jon's skin. Jon resisted the urge to throw the phone across the office and continued.

"Cut the crap, Phil. You know I don't like you, and I sure as hell know that you despise me. I'm being more of a man than you'll _ever_ be right now by telling you that I need your help."

"My, my. You, the great ER resident, need my help?"

Jon felt like strangling the man. "How many times do I need to say this? I need your help. Do I need to spell it out for you? Believe me, if I could avoid this, I would."

"Why, great doctor? Whatever could I help you with? Anything for you." 

"I've got an extreme pelvic fracture down here. I would do it, but I'm not taking any chances."

"Are you sure?"

"What do you take me for?! Do you think I called you to ask you to tea?! You know as well as I do that I wouldn't call you unless I really needed to. I don't want to talk to you any more than you want to talk to me."

Philip sighed dramatically. "All right, I'll be down as soon as I can get away from my duties here."

"Get your sorry carcass down here RIGHT NOW!" Jon hadn't realized that he was shouting as he slammed down the phone. He turned around to see the receptionist staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing, Dr. O'Neill." Jon spun around and proceeded to run back to the trauma room. 

Dr. Nichols hurried into the reception area. "What's going on here?" he asked the stunned receptionist. 

"Dr. O'Neill was talking to Dr. Kelsey."

"Ah," said Dr. Nichols wisely. "I should have known."

ab

By the time Jon made his appearance in the trauma room, most of the lab results were in. He paged through the sheets until he located the X-ray packet. He held it up to the light and peered at the sheet. One leg was obviously shattered. 

"Julie!" he called. "Get the MASTs!"

"Why?" she asked.

Jon pointed at the X-rays. "He's got a shattered leg. It needs to be stabilized."

Julie ran off to fetch the device. Meanwhile, Jon flipped through the lab results, continuing to take mental notes. He called for one of the nurses to fetch four units of blood. 

As soon as Julie returned he set up the MAST and began to pace the room, waiting for Philip to get down to the ER to perform the surgery. "Julie," he called. "Go find Connor. He's probably on the phone. Tell him I need him to send down an anesthesiologist."

Julie nodded and ran off. She was getting rather frustrated with all that was going on. She stopped at the desk, interrupted Connor's phone call to his girlfriend by scribbling him a note (and getting a nasty look in return), and proceeded out into the lobby, where she found the girl that had ridden along in the ambulance. She located her in the same corner as before, staring out into the night.

"Hello?"

Julie noticed that the girl had been crying; her eyes were red and puffed. "Hi. Is there any news?"

"Not yet. But we're waiting on the surgeon."

"The surgeon?!"

"Yes. We need to perform emergency surgery for the pelvic fracture. Have you found something to do?" 

"No, not really. I was going to call Matt, he's TK's older brother, but I'm trying to figure out what to tell him."

"If you do, you know where everything is, right?"

"Yes, thanks."

"Anyway, I've got to go back to the trauma room."

"Okay. Thanks for coming out."

"You're welcome." Kari was pleased to note that the girl didn't run away the way she had last time. 

Julie passed the reception desk, shot a nasty look at Connor and pressed the button to terminate the call. She grinned at him as he scowled at her and dialed the number to reach an anesthesiologist. 

Julie reported back to the trauma wing with the news that an anesthesiologist was on the way downstairs.

At that precise moment, Dr. Philip Kelsey swept into the trauma room. "Hello, all," he said. "Now what do we have here?"

Jon scowled. "Always one for making grand entrances, now weren't you, Philip?" he retorted, handing the doctor the charts.

Philip replied with a sarcastic smile. "Are you jealous of the fact that I have class and you don't, Dr. O'Neill?"

"I'd say it's actually the other way around."

Their bickering was interrupted by the anesthesiologist, Dr. Sarah Osamu, who entered the room. As soon as she spied the two doctors yelling at each other, she tried to back out. "Oh, jeez, I'm going to _kill_ Connor for sticking me into this case. If you guys do not stop fighting, I will physically separate you. So stop."

Jon and Philip both glared at the anesthesiologist before getting ready for the surgery. Philip gathered his tools and laid them out in an extremely neat fashion. Dr. Osamu prepared the anesthetic and filled the syringe, preparing to administer the shot.

Dr. Osamu plunged the needle into the patient's upper arm. She also administered an IV of succinylcholine, a muscle relaxer, to aid the doctors in their surgery.

The nurse monitoring the vitals called out that the patient's temperature was rising and that his heart rate was increasing.

"What's happening?" asked Julie, becoming frightened. She'd never seen anything like this before.

Philip's eyebrows knotted up in confusion. "Jon? Do you know?"

Jon thought quickly. "Malignant Hyperthermia. It's the only thing it _could_ be."

Philip's eyes showed recognition. "I've only seen it once, in that med school seminar. How much do you know about it?"

"Enough to be sure that this guy's going to die if we don't do something." He turned on Julie. "Julie, go get Dr. Nichols. NOW!" He shouted.

Julie ran out of the room, and into the staff room. "Dr. Nichols," she shouted. "We need you, there's an emergency and neither Jon nor Philip can do anything."

The elderly doctor's eyes widened and he dropped his sheaf of papers in favor of running down the hallway.

ab

Julie and Dr. Nichols arrived back at the trauma room in record time, considering that the former had been running all day and that the latter was 72. 

"What is it?" asked Dr. Nichols.

"Malignant Hyperthermia."

"At least," said Philip, "that's what the esteemed Dr. O'Neill believes it to be. But it's so rare, that I don't really believe that his diagnosis is…"

"Will you two please shut your mouths?!" Julie was surprised to hear the normally good-tempered Dr. Nichols yell. "Jon, take him off the succinylcholine. Philip, go and find a sterile cooling blanket. Julie, run to find some dantrolene to counter the reaction. Don't just stand there, all of you! GO!"

Philip left the room at a run, his yet immaculate coat streaming out behind him. Julie ran around the ER, looking for the medicine. Jon, his coat less than immaculate, began to quickly dislodge the IV.

Philip was the first to return, bringing the cooling blanket. It was immediately stripped of wrapping and thrown onto the patient. Julie arrived soon after, with an IV of the desired medicine.

Dr. Nichols quickly administered the syringe of dantrolene and waited to see if the patient would be stabilized. Sure enough, the nurse called out that the patient's temperature was falling and that the heart rate was going back down to normal. 

Julie flopped down into a chair. "So," she asked. "What just happened here?"

Philip smiled. "Malignant Hyperthermia is, let me see if I can remember this from med school, an inherited predisposition to an anesthetic reaction."

Julie sent a helpless glance at Jon, her mentor and friend. "What the self-declared genius means to say is that it messes with the metabolism in the skeletal muscles and it causes such a marked increase in the metabolism that it raises the body temperature to unsafe levels."

Julie grinned. "So it's got to be pretty rare, right?"

Jon answered honestly. "I've only seen it once in a med school seminar, and I've read about it. But that's about all I know."

Philip stole Julie's seat as she stood up to check the monitors. "Jon, temperature's back to normal, and so is the heart rate. Do you want to get started on the surgery?"

"Yeah, probably. Ask Philip."

"Dr. Kelsey?"

"Yes, we should get started."

Philip moved over to the patient. "Julie, come assist."

Julie looked at Jon, who shrugged and motioned for her to follow. She checked her watch and found that it was well after midnight. If she remembered correctly, Jon had come in for the early shift this morning, which meant that he could have left much earlier. Instead, he had stayed to take charge of the trauma. So he was probably tired.

She followed Dr. Kelsey over to begin the surgery. "Hand me a scalpel. And what are you doing tonight?"

"This is a trauma room, for heaven's sake, not a club or something," bellowed Jon. "SO stop flirting with my med student!"

ab

Julie left the trauma room in good spirits, headed for the lobby area. The remainder of the surgery had gone well; Philip was finishing up the stitches and Jon was napping in a chair, waiting until his next shift. It was now nearly two AM, so the lobby area was basically deserted. 

She found the person she was looking for in the same seat as before. She looked tired. As she turned around, Julie could see a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Is there any news?"

Julie nodded. "He pulled through the emergency surgery, but there were a few complications. Fortunately, he's fine now, but there is a possibility that he may stay in a comatose state. We'll need to put pins in his leg, which is shattered, but that'll be done at a later date. He'll be leaving the ER soon, so as soon as he's in a private room, I'll let you know. Did you contact his brother?"

"No, I'll do that now. Thanks. Thanks a lot."

"You should probably go home and get some sleep. We'll have more news in the morning."

"Are you sure that nothing will happen overnight?"

"Almost positive. Go on, he'll be fine."

ab

Kari arrived home about a half-hour later and resisted the urge to just fall into bed. She took a quick shower and prepared to call Matt.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number. She was rewarded on the fifth ring with the sleepy voice of her best friend's brother. 

"Hello?"

"Matt? This is Kari." She could feel herself starting to cry again.

"Kari? What's wrong?!" She could almost picture Matt sitting straight up in bed, rubbing at his eyes. He probably knew that something was wrong simply because she was calling at two-thirty in the morning.

"Matt… There's been… an accident. TK… Well… TK's in the hospital…"

****

To Be Continued…

****

A/N: Hooray! I'm finished! Now I can go off and read _Pride and Prejudice_ another time before starting on chapter 4… What a wonderful book!

Guilty as I feel saying this, this was the hardest part for me to write. Not because of _what_ this chapter is about, but because I'm a freshman in high school who has never been in the hospital for any reason other than visiting my grandpa after his hip surgery. What about you people? Could you let me know what you think by reviewing? Thanks!

E-Mail the Authoress at[bee824@yahoo.com][1]! Bumblebee loves to hear from you! 

   [1]: mailto:bee824@yahoo.com



	5. 

A/N: Sorry for the delay (again) ****

A/N: Sorry for the delay (again)! I've been busy (again)… but I loved your reviews! This time, to save space, I'm not going to be thanking you all individually with messages, so I'll just give you an immense "THANK YOU!" And Ep02-50 is bugging me… Matt is not going to be an astronaut. He is gonna be a rock star. And TK and Kari are meant to be together. My warped mind doesn't really care what Saban says.

****

Dedication: All of you people who reviewed- this one's for you! I'm not going to write out your names because that would take at least a day, and I don't want to delay this part any longer than necessary! 

****

Disclaimer: I am branching out in my disclaimers! =-) As Xing says, "Writing is an international language". Therefore, this disclaimer is brought to you in *drumroll* Yiddish! (helpfully donated by Juli Comando- reviewer extraordinare! Sorry I couldn't get this out before Passover, Juli!) **En li Bumblebee Digimon hayom, lo haya lah Etmol, vi lo yihiyeh lah machar (ani choshevet). Mivean? **Rough Translation: Digimon doesn't belong to Bumblebee today. It wasn't hers yesterday. And it won't be hers tomorrow. (I think) Comprehend?

****

Awakenings 04: The Darkest Hour

"The darkest hour is just before dawn…"

"what i learned i rejected but i believe again

i will suffer the consequences of this inquisition

if i jump in this fountain will i be forgiven?"

-Alanis Morissette, _Forgiven_

"An accident?" Matt's voice was groggy, as if he didn't comprehend what she was saying. "What kind of accident?"

Kari could feel her throat becoming choked up and a solitary tear trickled down her cheek. "A car accident, Matt. TK ran out of my house and he was crossing the street, and he was hit by a drunk driver." 

She could picture Matt sitting straight up in bed, throwing off the blankets and pacing around his bedroom on his cordless phone. "Shit, Kari, when did this happen?"

"About," Kari sniffled. "Ten o'clock. Give or take."

Kari heard Matt swallow. "How… how bad is it?"

Kari started to cry. "It's pretty bad, Matt. You should probably get here as soon as possible."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at home now. I'm skipping class tomorrow to go down to the hospital."

"What…" she heard Matt blow his nose. "What made him leave in such a hurry that he would get in the way of a car?"

Kari dried her eyes. "It's a long story, Matt. And I'll tell you eventually, but I can't right now. I'll see you tomorrow." She hung up.

Matt sat in his bed, still shocked at the sudden turn of events. A few hours ago, he had looked forward to seeing Kari and TK, singing, all that stuff. But now he'd see his little brother, yes, but in a hospital bed. And Kari would be different. She always was when someone close to her was hurt.

Matt would bet money that he knew what Kari's long story was. If TK had done what Matt had advised him to do… And by the way Kari was acting now…

_Score one for you, little bro_, thought Matt grimly.

And then Matt broke down and cried. 

*

Julie woke up at the hospital, in a room used specifically for sleeping doctors. She moaned and rubbed her eyes, peering at her watch in the semi-darkness. The digital display blinked back at her. _3:18_. She tossed her feet over the side of the bed and stood up. She looked at her surroundings and instantly grinned. There was Jon; asleep in one of the leather chairs, hair all messed up. And as soon as she saw the tall doctor with the dark hair, her mind conjured up a picture of the blonde man who had gone upstairs.

Philip Kelsey wasn't quite as handsome as Jon was, but (although she felt as if she was betraying Jon by thinking it) he was kind of nice… And it wasn't as if Jon thought of her as anything but a student… But she didn't like Jon like that… did she?

Julie heard a pounding on the door. "Julie? Jon? Wake up!" It was the voice of Dr. Nichols, sounding just as chipper at 3 a.m. as he did at 3 in the afternoon. 

Julie groaned and slid her white coat back over her shoulders. She shook Jon to wake him up, and then she left the room.

"What is it?" she asked Dr. Nichols when she arrived at the reception desk.

"Trauma case coming in. We need both you and Jon to work on it."

"Another? What is it this time?"

"Car crash."

"Seriously? But we just finished that one about an hour ago, and…"

"Julie, this one is going to be nasty. He was driving drunk."'

"So call the police!"

"They've already been called. Plus, the police are the ones who found the car. It was near the river, smashed into a tree. He was still in it."

"Do you think there's any connection between this and the guy that got hit by a car earlier? Remember, the one with Malignant Hyperthermia?"

Dr. Nichols sighed. "Julie, the car was the same description- little and red. The license numbers came up the same. They think this kid hit the boy earlier."

"Kid?"

"He was only seventeen."

"Seventeen?! What do you mean seventeen?!"

"He was driving drunk at seventeen. He's probably going to die, and we still aren't sure if the guy upstairs in the ICU is going to live. Which means that if this kid lives, he's up for at least attempted murder. Plus alcohol possession by a minor."

"When will he get here?"

"Five minutes, maybe? I'm not sure. Now go wake up Jon; he probably isn't listening to me."

Julie followed instructions, and within minutes, she could hear the ambulance sirens.

Jon was tired, she could tell just by looking at him. But nevertheless, he was still the first person outside to receive the patient. Julie followed him out to the ambulance lot.

Julie could tell that this patient was in a worse predicament than the boy that he had almost killed just from watching the doctors' reactions. The gurney was brought out faster, the boy was loaded on faster…

There was much more blood. So much blood… Julie was amazed that the boy was still alive, from the amount of the substance on the stretcher. The crew had worked to bandage the patient, but the liquid still seeped out of his body.

"Julie," Jon called. "Go and make sure that the trauma room is open."

So Julie ran in. Sure enough, the room was open for the incoming patient. Within seconds, the patient was wheeled in and monitored. Julie knew that the patient had been given CPR and other methods of resuscitation on the ambulance ride to the hospital, but it didn't appear to have made a difference. The patient was still steadily losing blood and didn't look like he would make it.

Jon yelled for her to call the blood bank, so she did. Luckily, the ambulance staff had taken the patient's vitals; there was no time for that now. It only took her a few minutes to call for the 4 units of blood, but when she reentered the room a drastic change was evident.

Jon was calling for the paddles to shock the boy's heart. Apparently, the patient's heart had gone into de-fib. 

Julie watched helplessly from the doorway as Jon, his hands covered in blood, recharged the paddles and tried to shock the boy's heart into restarting.

But all of a sudden, Jon stopped the process. He called for a nurse.

And then in a voice that sounded strangled and sad, he said "Time of death, 3:42".

*

Kari lay in bed, tossing and turning. She didn't want to fall asleep… she knew that if she did, she would have the nightmares… Kari knew that she would have to watch TK fall in front of the car, hear the crunch of the bones as his limp body slapped against the pavement…

_Nightmares._ Kari hadn't thought about her childhood nightmares for years… Especially the one from high school…

That nightmare had always woken her up sweating, crying, breathing heavily… And Tai had always come in with a glass of water and sat with her, and they had talked about it, and he had stayed up until she had felt safe enough to go to sleep…

But where was Tai during this real-life nightmare?

She wanted to hear her brother's voice, to hear him tell her that it would be okay, that TK would be fine.

But now, when she needed Tai most, she couldn't talk to him. Because not even Tai knew whether everything would be okay.

A tear ran down her cheek. Would she be able to wake up after this nightmare?

Or would her entire life be shattered?

*

Julie woke up at six in the morning. She didn't have the early shift, but she wanted to run upstairs to check on the patient from the night before. Last night, the people in the ICU told her that they would move him to a private room, so he could have visitors. Julie hoped they had moved him already, because she knew that his girlfriend (at least she thought that the girl from last night was his girlfriend) would be there to stay with him.

She arrived on the fifth floor and stopped at the desk. "Hi, I'm Julie Connolley, from the ER, and…"

"Oh, yes," said the receptionist. "Dr. O'Neill called up this morning and said that you'd probably be up. Are you here for the patient with Malignant Hyperthermia?"

"Yes, I am, thanks."

"He's in room 510. Down the hall and to the left. He's mighty popular this morning- you're his second visitor!"

Julie thanked the woman, and walked down the hallway. She reached the open door, and entered.

Sure enough, the brown haired girl was there. What was her name? Kari, that was it.

The girl looked up, and saw Julie enter. "Hello again," she said.

"Hi. Kari, right?"

"Yeah. And you're Julie."

"Yup. How are you this morning?" 

Julie saw the look of sadness in Kari's eyes. "As well as I can be, I guess."

"Are you his girlfriend?"

"Who, TK's?"

"Yeah. Him."

"No, not really… Yes, no, I don't know… Can you ask another question?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. Are any of TK's relatives coming up?"

"Yes, his brother Matt is on his way. He'll be here in about an hour."

Julie looked at the boy on the hospital bed. All the traces of blood had been cleaned off his face, but a huge purple bruise stretched up his cheek and a deep scratch extended across his forehead. She remembered that his leg had been shattered… had that been repaired yet?

"How could I have let this happen?"

Julie looked at Kari. "What do you mean?"

"This is all my fault."

"Your fault?"

"I go to college in this town… so does TK."

"I go to med school here, at the university."

"You go to our school then. Anyhow, TK and I were getting together to study for a Shakespeare test. We've been best friends since we were eight. And when we were there…" Kari sniffled and Julie handed her a box of tissues. "Thanks. But he… he told me he loved me. And I was so stupid. I told him that I couldn't promise him anything. And he had to go, so he left. And he was so busy, so lost in thought, that he walked in front of that car. And I saw it… He just fell to the pavement. And that's when I realized it. I had lied to my best friend. I told him that I didn't love him… when I think that I've loved him for practically forever. And now I might not get a chance to tell him…" Kari wiped her eyes. "I've been crying all night, as you can probably tell."

Julie smiled. "But there's been research… supposedly, it assists coma patients if they can hear the voices of people they love. And supposedly, they can hear it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. This is a private room, you know. You can probably bring in pictures and stuff… hang them up, you know? It might help him heal, and help you heal too."

"I can do that?" Kari wiped her eyes. You wouldn't believe how much that would help."

"Yeah. And Kari? Tell him. TK can hear you."

"Thanks. Thanks a lot."

"Anyway, I have to go. I may come up on my lunch break, I don't know. But has anyone been in to take him up to surgery?"

"I don't think so. Why?"

"His leg was shattered. It'll need to be fixed by surgery soon. I don't know how much I can do, but I'll try to get him up soon."

"Thanks, Julie. I'll see you soon, I guess." 

"Yeah. I'll come back later."

Julie left the room and walked back to the reception desk. She saw Jon there, filling out papers. "Hi Jon," she said. "What are you doing up here?"

Jon smiled at her. "Filling out two sets of incredibly interesting papers. Want to help?"

"Yeah, sure. What are they for?"

"Patient forms, charts, all that stuff."

Julie grabbed one stack. It was mainly charts and hospital forms- she saw the name at the top. _Takeru Takaishi. _"Hey Jon? Is Takeru Takaishi the guy we had downstairs last night?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I was talking to his best friend this morning. They call him TK for short."

"Really."

"But Jon? Could you do me a really big favor?"

"Depends. If it involves beating Philip Kelsey with an incredibly heavy object, then of course I'll do it. But otherwise, I've got to think about it."

The receptionist snorted. Dr. Kelsey and Dr. O'Neill were known throughout the hospital for their incredible rivalry and their numerous fights.

Julie smiled. "Actually, it does involve Dr. Kelsey."

"Suddenly I'm not feeling so good about your chances at getting me to do this favor… Unless, of course, it involves the aforementioned heavy object…"

"Jon, could you please just let me have Philip's extension number?"

"What do you want to talk to that self-centered, conceited, annoying… I could say much more, but I'm choosing to be a gentleman."

"Jon, _please_. I want to see if he'll do the surgery on TK's leg."

"Why?"

"Because he's the best surgeon at this hospital! And I really want to see this guy make it out all right."

"You know that he still might not make it, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"I don't want to see you get too attached to this patient, and then see him die."

"But Jon, I…"

Jon sighed. "Are you absolutely positive that you want me to do this?"

"Yes?"

"You know that he'll hold it over my head for three years or so? You know, two favors in one week?"

"But if I ask him to do it…"

"Will it make a difference? Maybe. But I don't want you to have to talk to him."

"I thought he was okay, to tell you the truth. I don't see why you guys are so awful to each other…"

"I'm trying to protect you, and look what happens…"

"Please, Jon. Just this once…"

"All right… he's at extension 12. And you can ask him for whatever else you need."

"Thanks Jon. Thanks a ton."

"No biggie. Now go run off and ask Dr. Kelsey for your favor…"

"See you later, Jon…" Julie left, grinning at him.

The receptionist looked at Dr. Jonathan O'Neill with raised eyebrows. "What's this? Dr. O'Neill actually volunteering to give someone Phil's extension without a fight?"

"Oh, be quiet. You know that he's moderately passable at surgery…"

"You like her, don't you."

"I do not! This is something she wants to do, and as long as I don't need to talk to Philip…"

"You seriously do!"

"I give up. You receptionists, always harassing us…"

"You so like her. Now get back to the ER and go rescue people."

Jon grinned. "Will do, ma'am."

The receptionist grinned at him. "You like her, though."

"I do not. Now I refuse to put up with this any longer. I'm leaving."

The receptionist grinned at the retreating doctor. _Men_, she thought. _Can't accept what is obvious to the rest of us…_

*

"Hello, Dr. Philip Kelsey speaking."

"Hello, Dr. Kelsey? This is Julie Connolley. We met last night, do you remember?"

"How could I forget? What do you need?"

"Well, I have this huge favor to ask you, and Jon gave me this number, but I had to beg it out of him, and…"

"Jon gave you this number? I must say, I'm flattered to think that the incredibly great ER resident is thinking of lowly me…"

"Oh, stop it. Anyway, do you remember the patient from last night with malignant hyperthermia?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

"Well, his leg was shattered. And he needs to have it fixed… and I was wondering if you could do it?"

"Anything for you, my dear. When do you want it done?"

"Whenever you have time. So does that mean you'll do it?"

"Of course! I can make it today, at about noon, if that's okay."

"Sure, he's in room 510. Just let the receptionist know that you'll be doing it, and she'll get him up to you."

"Who's handling the case? Misako? Chen? Orika?"

"Actually, Jon's going to keep a handle on it. But I think Misako is handling all the arrangements in case of an emergency."

"All right, I'll talk to Misako. But could you tell the superior being casually known as Dr. Jonathan O'Neill that I'm taking the case?"

"Of course. So, I'll see you later, then?"

"Yes. And what are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing, really. Why?"

"Would you care to accompany me to dinner?"

"Sure! What time?"

"Seven o'clock sound good?"

"Okay. See you then."

"Goodbye, Julie."

"Bye Dr. Kelsey."

*

Matt arrived in room 510 at around ten o'clock, his eyes red-rimmed and his hair a mess.

"Holy shit, Kari, everything's falling apart…"

"What do you mean, Matt?"

"First Tai and Sora, and now TK…"

"What do you mean, Matt?

"You mean you don't know what happened?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, I don't know if I should tell you this, but…"

"What is it, Matt?"

"Tai and Sora got in a huge fight last night, and…"

"Oh no! Matt, have they…?"

"Yeah, Kari. They broke up. And now they won't talk to or about each other."

****

To Be Continued…

A/N: Thanks for reading… Only two or so parts left… But then there's a companion series to 'Awakenings'. It's going to be called 'The Road Unknown' and it will continue right where this series leaves off. After 'The Road Unknown' comes another series, this time drawing the focus away from Kari and putting it on another person… Part 05 is in the works, maybe next week or so? Anyway, review, if you please! 

E-mail the authoress at [bee824@yahoo.com][1]! Bumblebee loves to hear from you!

   [1]: mailto:bee824@yahoo.com



	6. 05: If I Fall...

A/N: And now we're off ****

A/N: Part five is here: finally! Writer's block/finals/boarding school applications/ etc. Sorry! I've also had other ideas stuck in my head for the past month that I couldn't help writing out… Eek! That's not cool… But now it's summer, so I can writ a _little_ faster… =-)

****

Disclaimer: _Digimon: Digital Monsters_ is legal property of Saban, Toei Animation, Fox Kids, et al. By writing this fan fiction, I in no way imply that I am the owner of the cartoon. All major characters used in this fan fiction are legal property of the owners of this cartoon show. This fan fiction is written purely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of those that may read it, and I do not intend any copyright infringement.

****

Awakenings 05: If I Fall…

"I know the sky is calling

Angel, let me help you with your wings…"

-Nickel Creek, _When You Come Back Down_

Kari gasped at Matt's news. "What? How?"

"I don't know. No one does, really. They went out to dinner, and I called Tai's cell phone to tell him about TK, and then the next morning, they had broken up!"

"But, I don't see how…"

"None of us do, Kari."

"But they were so much in love! There's no way that they could have broken up!"

"Well, they did."

Kari was pretty shocked, as far as Matt could tell. She hadn't expected this so soon after TK's accident. Matt handed her a tissue as she started to cry.

"Kari, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine… no I'm not. I don't know!"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"First the crash… what did I do, Matt? How did I deserve this punishment? Why? Is there something out there that wants me to suffer?" Kari's voice was angry. "What have I done?"

"Kari, it's not your fault."

"Yes it is! I did this! If it wasn't for me, he'd still be conscious!"

"Yeah, but if it weren't for you, he'd be miserable! Kari, don't you get it? You're the love of his life! If he hadn't told you that night, he'd have to keep it all in! He'd be lonely and sad and he'd wind up doing something drastic! Would you want that?"

"No, but…"

"Don't you go off on this 'it's my fault' guilt trip! When TK wakes up- and yes, I mean _when_, not _if_, Kari- he can't have you being all miserable, because he'll think it's his fault for telling you. It is NOT your fault. It's that drunk driver's fault, and he's punished. He's dead. You can't hold all of the guilt inside, Kari."

"But TK will hate me… his basketball…"

"TK can't hate you. He told me once that he thinks that you two share a soul. And basketball doesn't matter to him. You do. And he's not going to love you any less because some idiot got in a car after having a couple drinks."

"He said that?"

"Yeah. He seriously did."

"Since when did he get so poetic?"

"Since high school, when I told him that girls liked two things- poets and singers. And then he said that I was the one who got the voice."

Kari smiled, although there were tears in her eyes. "I miss him, Matt."

"I know, Kari," he said as he comforted her. "I know."

* * * * *

TK felt like he was in a fog. He couldn't feel anything, though… no heat, no cold, no pain… And then he remembered the accident- that had been painful… why couldn't he feel anything now? He had thought that he would be in pain for quite a while afterwards…

He couldn't see anything but a light in the distance. He had to reach the light, he didn't know why. He could barely move… the fog was thick and it was pressing down on him, making it nearly impossible to continue towards the light… But he had to keep going…

He could hear a little… someone was crying. _Kari_. He had to reach her, to stop her crying! TK wanted to make her happy… he didn't like her to cry, because when she cried he felt like his heart was breaking in two…

He tried to speak, but as he said the words, they were swept away… He screamed, hoping… maybe she could hear him then?

But no matter how much he tried to reach her, comfort her, make her be happy again, she couldn't hear him… 

* * * * *

Dr. Philip Kelsey routinely skipped his lunch break to work on one case or another, but today he grabbed Takeru Takaishi's chart and walked to the staff lounge to review the information contained in the manila folder.

He had to admit it, when the patient first came in, he had thought it was hopeless. The pelvic fracture was bad enough that it could have killed him, but somehow he had made it to the hospital without dying. He saw why Jon O'Neill had called him down as soon as the patient had come in. Because, after all, Philip was the best.

But then it had turned out that Takeru Takaishi had Malignant Hyperthermia, and Philip had to work together with Jon O'Neill…

Philip couldn't help being sarcastic when Jon was around. He knew that their feud was discussed all around the hospital. He sincerely hated the man. He couldn't even think of how long they had been playing 'let's see who can be the better doctor', but he knew it had been a long time.

Then Julie Connolley had come along. Sweet, smart, Julie Connolley. Why did she have to be Jon's med student? But after talking to some nurses who had been around the two, Philip had figured out that he held the ultimate weapon. The more times he went out with Julie, the more miserable Jon would be. But he sincerely liked Julie. He didn't want to hurt her. But he did want to hurt Jon…

Or did he?

* * * * *

Kari had fallen asleep in the chair next to TK's bed. When she woke up, she could see two nurses wheeling the bed out of the room.

"What is it?"

"We're taking him up to fix his leg," said the first nurse. "It's routine surgery, no big deal. He'll be back in a couple of hours."

Kari nodded and the bed was whisked away. Matt, however, had gone to get something to eat, and as he entered the room with his Discman on, his face turned white.

"Kari, what's happened? Is he…"

Kari smiled at him. "He's gone to get his leg fixed."

Matt sighed in relief. "Oh. Okay."

"What'cha listening to?"

"Our band's CD."

"You have a CD?"

"It's a burned copy of our songs."

"Oh."

The two sat in comfortable silence, until the door to the room swung open, and Sora walked in.

"Sora!" Kari hugged the redhead. "Are you okay?"

Sora gave a watery grin. It was apparent that she had been crying since she had left Odaiba. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her nose was blotchy.

"Sora, have you been crying?"

"Matt, how could you ever tell?" Sora smiled at him, but it ended up erupting into a burst of tears. Kari handed her a tissue. Sora wiped her eyes. "Some women can look good when they cry, but I can't. my nose gets all blotchy."

Kari smiled at her. "I was crying all morning. Ask Matt."

Matt nodded. "She did cry all morning. For a while there, I didn't know if she'd ever stop crying."

"Hey, where is TK, anyway? How's he doing?"

Kari motioned towards the door. "He went to get his leg fixed, because he'd shattered it. And he's fine now, except he'll probably have a few scars from when he hit the pavement. And the doctor isn't quite sure if he'll wake up or not…" Kari sniffled. "Matt, give me the tissue box."

"Not this again, Kari… It's not your fault!"

"I know… but I may never see him alive again, and that's tough…"

Sora started crying again and the two hugged each other, both sobbing. Matt wiped at his eyes.

"Hey Matt, are you crying?"

"Almost. So be quiet."

"Okay."

Kari grabbed the tissue box and distributed them to everyone. "Okay. Sora, what happened?"

Sora wiped her eyes. "I don't know, exactly, and that's the worst part."

Matt groaned. "Okay. Start at the beginning."

"Well, Tai and I went out for dinner. And then we were talking, right? And I asked how you were doing, because I hadn't been able to get in contact with you in a while. And then he said that you were doing fine. I mentioned that I hoped that you and TK would get together. So then Tai said that he wanted to try and see if he could get you and TK together, and I told him that he shouldn't because that wasn't letting you make your own choices, and he said that I didn't understand. I asked why, and he said it was because I didn't have any siblings. So I told him that just because I didn't have any brothers or sisters didn't mean that I didn't know how to make the right decisions about love. Well, I guess that got on his nerves, because he said that I didn't know what love was. Then I got mad, and I yelled at him, and he yelled at me, and I called him some things that I probably shouldn't have, and…"

Matt interrupted. "What exactly did you call him?"

"Um, a worthless big-haired goggle-freak who didn't know enough to stop meddling in other people's business, and…"

Matt's eyes got larger. "Uh-oh, you insulted the almighty goggles."

"I know! And that's the worst part!" Sora was crying quite freely now. "I didn't mean it! And then he told me… he told me that I didn't deserve the crest of love!"

Kari wiped her eyes on a tissue. "Wow, that's low. Idiot brother."

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't know what he's missing."

Sora sobbed. "But I miss him so much…" Her voice cracked. "I want him back!"

"Do you love him?"

"I don't know! What is love, anyway?"

Kari tossed her the tissue box. "Would you give anything to make him happy? Would you do whatever it took to make sure he was all right? Can…" She sniffled. "Can you see you two growing old together, and watching as your kids grow and you have grandchildren, and…"

Matt hugged Kari. "Kari, it's going to be okay. TK is going to wake up, and you two can get married, and Tai and I can have fights over who spoils your kids the most, and you can buy a house and live happily ever after."

Kari laughed, tears still rolling down her face. "Matt, I'm so scared."

"I know, we all are. But TK's a fighter. He'll make it out all right."

Sora sniffled. "I'm going to call Tai."

"That's it, Sora," said Matt. "Go for it."

Sora picked up the phone and Kari and Matt left the room to give her some privacy. 

"So, Matt, what should we do?"

"Let's go get something to eat."

"Hey, remember when TK painted the cat?"

"And when he fell off that balcony-thing at Ken's?"

"And that time when you and Tai took him for a ride in that awful car, and he was almost throwing up?"

Matt laughed. "And then you yelled at Tai and Tai almost hit the tree?"

Kari smiled. "Do you know about the time when TK and I stole your guitar and hid it?"

"Yeah, and it took me three days to find it!"

"And then when he found you and what's-her-name making out in the closet and he told you that your mom was at the door?"

"Yeah! And I was trying to get her to leave through the back door so mom wouldn't catch her, and TK was laughing so hard that he was laying on the floor in the living room! I was so mad at him…"

"Oh, well, she was a slut anyway. No big loss."

"Okay, I was a junior. It really didn't matter to me!"

Kari grinned. "It was funny though…"

"How'd you find out about that, anyway?"

"TK told me about it."

"He told you a lot, didn't he?"

"He was my best friend! He told me everything. Including the time when your band had a party and you all danced around in your underwear…"

"Hey!"

"Someday, I can blackmail you… especially because TK has pictures!"

"He does not… If he does, I'll kill him, I swear…"

"You're right, he doesn't."

"Hey! Don't scare me like that!"

Kari giggled. "Hey, when do you think the surgery will be finished?"

"I don't know, probably pretty soon, I guess. Let's go find Sora."

As Kari and Matt entered TK's room, Sora greeted them with a grin.

"What is it, Sora?"

"He loves me! He really does! And we're not fighting any more, and he says that he forgives me! Aren't you guys happy?"

Matt grinned at her. "Hey, Sora, can I be best man at your wedding?"

"Hey, don't assume anything!"

Kari interrupted. "Because, Matt, you know what assuming does…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Give it up."

The joking banter was interrupted as a nurse wheeled TK's prone figure into the room. 

"How did the surgery go?" asked Matt. "Is his leg going to be okay?"

"Actually," said the nurse, "Dr. Kelsey is going to be in the room within the next half hour to talk with you about that. He's only got a few papers to finish up, so it won't be too long."

Kari nodded. "Is something wrong?"

"You'll have to wait, I don't know a lot." The nurse exited the room.

Kari's eyes met Sora's, and she could tell that the redhead was as frightened as she was. Matt collapsed into the armchair next to TK's bed.

"What could have happened? I thought the other surgery was bad enough, and I wasn't even there! What could have possibly gone wrong?" Kari could tell by Matt's voice that he was mad. Not just mad, steaming. His rage was so contorting his face that Kari wasn't even sure that he was really Matt.

"Dammit!" Matt swore and threw TK's charts across the room. "Damn damn damn!" 

"Matt, please…" Sora tried to calm Matt's anger, but failing. "Matt, stop it!"

"Stop what, Sora? Stop loving my brother? Stop wishing that everything could go back to the way it was? Well, it can't ever go back to the way it was, so just shut up! You don't know what it's like to have someone you love lying in a bed, and you're sitting there, not knowing what's going to happen. And you know that if he dies, you may never see him again, and you'll never get to say you're sorry for all the awful things you did when he was with you. And that if he does wake up, he may not even know who you are, because he might have amnesia! You don't know anything. So you just shut your mouth." He picked up a plastic bottle of water and threw it into the wall. "Damn."

Sora grabbed his arm. "Matt, we all love TK. You're not the only person in the world who cares about him. You've always tried to isolate yourself, so you don't have to feel anything. So you can be the strong one. You did it in the Digiworld, and you're doing it now. We're a team, Matt. You can't pull away like this, even if it is because of your temper. Look what you're doing to us! Look what you've done to Kari!"

Kari sat in the armchair, her head in her hands, silent sobs shaking her shoulders. "Look what you've done, Matt. You're not the only one who cares about him. You're not the only one who feels guilty. Don't pretend that you are!" Sora bent down to scoop up the handful of papers that had fallen off of the clipboard after Matt had thrown it. She placed the clipboard back where it belonged, on the footboard of the hospital bed. "I'm leaving, Tai and I are going out to dinner. Matt, you just watch. Everything is going to be okay."

Matt sat on the windowsill for some time after she left, his head in his hands, before he realized the full extent of her words. Was he isolating himself again? He didn't want to, he knew that. In the Digiworld, he had been so lonely, so angry, so ready to lash out, that he hadn't really made friends until he let the wall down.

Kari stood up, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. _She looks worse than before_, Matt thought, _and it's all my fault!_

"Kari, I'm so sorry…" He hugged her. "It'll be okay, I promise. I'm so sorry, I lost my temper, please, don't cry!" He could feel her tears soaking his shirt, but it didn't really matter to him. "TK will wake up, I promise. Please, stop crying!"

"But what if he doesn't? What if he stays like this forever? What if…"

"Shh… He will. I promise."

* * * * *

Dr. Philip Kelsey grabbed the charts off of his desk and made his way to Takeru Takaishi's room. His white lab coat billowed behind him as he hurried, so as not to be late to talk to the boy's family.

The surgery had gone well, he thought. If it weren't for the fact that the boy was the university's basketball star, he would have send one of the nurses to talk to the boy's family. But with such a shock before them, he didn't think that they would appreciate some nurse coming in and giving them the bad news.

He turned the corner and entered the room. The girl looked as if she had been crying, and there was an obvious family resemblance between the tall man sitting on the windowsill and the patient in the bed. As he walked in, he knew the family was very anxious.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Philip Kelsey… I'm the surgeon who did the work on Takeru's leg."

The girl nodded. "Is everything okay, doctor?"

"The surgery went well, if that's what you mean. Here are the x-rays of his leg before…" Philip held the picture up to a light box. "As you can see, there was significant damage to the knee…"

The girl gasped raggedly, and a single tear made it's way down her cheek. The man hugged her and nodded for Philip to continue.

"We inserted a device into his knee and repaired the cartilage… But there is one thing that you should know…"

"What is it, Dr. Kelsey?

"Because of the extent of damage, we were unable to restore Takeru's leg to its original condition. Once he awakens, he may be in a wheelchair for a few weeks and eventually, he'll start using a cane. However, he will probably have at least a slight limp for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, I don't believe professional basketball is in Takeru's future."

The man nodded. "I thought that's what might happen…"

The girl smiled. "Thank you, Dr. Kelsey. We really appreciate what you've done for TK."

"You're welcome. Give my best wishes to Takeru when he wakes up."

"We will, doctor. Thanks."

` Philip left the room. It didn't take long before he was back to the staff lounge.

He thought about the two people from before. How could they not be angry after what he had told them? Takeru might never play professional basketball again, and they were okay with that! The boy's future was shot! Most athletes that he knew of went to school to play, and skipped most classes…

_Somehow,_ he thought, _this boy is different._

* * * * *

Kari had opened the window, and a cool breeze blew into the room. The curtains fluttered in the breeze as she sat in semi-darkness. 

She wished that Matt had stayed, though. The hospital staff had said that only one person could stay overnight, and Matt had said that Kari could. He left to go to his apartment.

But Kari was lonely. She hadn't wanted to be alone for most of this ordeal, but that night in the hospital…

That night had been the worst night of her life so far, she thought. She had been so lonely, so desperate, and she had to give her trust to the doctors, because there wasn't anything she could have done to help TK… She didn't like being helpless…

Suddenly a slight movement on the bed startled her. She watched TK for a moment- she had thought his fingers had moved. But she watched him for another minute and nothing happened…

There it was again. A slight movement of his left hand. Did this mean that he was waking up?

_Please, please, please, _thought Kari. _Wake up… please…_

His arm moved again, a little more this time, and then his leg shifted. As Kari watched, his eyes fluttered open…

"Am I in heaven?" he asked. "Are you an angel?"

**__**

To Be Continued…

A/N: Chapter 06 is coming up next, and then an epilogue! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. If you could, please review… I love hearing from readers and reviews actually help me write faster… =-) Have a great day, and happy reading! =-) With love, Bumblebee.

E-mail the authoress at [bee824@yahoo.com][1]! Bumblebee loves to hear from you!

   [1]: mailto:bee824@yahoo.com



	7. 06: Beautiful Distraction

A/N: Hey, everyone… I actually got this part out less than a month from the last one ****

A/N: Hey, everyone… I actually got this part out less than a month from the last one… Okay, I TRIED to! Wow. Amazing, isn't it? Anyway, hope you enjoy this part! Someone commented that 05 wasn't as well written as the others, and I think that's because I was rushing to get it out and didn't edit it… =-) Oops! Just thought I'd tell you that… Um, I can't think of anything else, so I guess I'll go now! Thanks for all of your encouragement and support, reviewers! I love you all!

****

Disclaimer: _Digimon: Digital Monsters_ is legal property of Saban, Toei Animation, Fox Kids, et al. By writing this fan fiction, I in no way imply that I am the owner of the cartoon. All major characters used in this fan fiction are legal property of the owners of this cartoon show. This fan fiction is written purely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of those that may read it, and I do not intend any copyright infringement.

****

P.S. This is the last part remaining besides an epilogue. That will be out in the next week or so, hopefully. It's basically all written… after that, you may not see much from me, because I was accepted a school that is really fast paced with a lot of homework. I'm sorry!

****

Awakenings 06: Beautiful Distraction 

"you're in the arms of the angel

may you find some comfort here…"

-Sarah McLachlan, "Angel"

****

Kari watched his mouth move, seeing the words on his lips before hearing the sounds. "Are you? _Are_ you an angel? Am I dead?"

She was rendered silent for those few moments… it was as if her body wanted to jump up and hug him and call everyone and celebrate, but her mind whirled and spun with her thoughts. It was almost as if she wanted to greet him and kiss him and welcome him back, but she couldn't do anything but hold onto his hand and shake the tears away from her eyes.

"Kari? Is that you? Why are you sad?" He brushed his hand against her cheek, wiping away the tears that she had failed to stop. "What's wrong?"

She was smiling and choking and laughing, all at once. "Nothing's wrong. Everything's gone right, just in these moments, it's all better now…"

Kari heard steps in the hall, the nurses doing their nightly checks. _No,_ she thought. _Please, anywhere but here…_

But a nurse turned into the room, her eyes absorbed by a clipboard, carrying a bag of IV fluid. She saw TK's eyes open and heard voices and promptly dropped the thick plastic sack.

"Is he awake?"

Kari nodded, feeling the tears start again. She had waited so long, or what felt like a long time… each day stabbing at her heart as she watched TK, cold, pale, immersed in dreams that everyone knew were possibly the last things he would see in the land of the living… 

The nurse grinned as she picked up the bag of IV fluid. "Excellent… everyone is going to be so happy, especially Julie and Dr. Jon… Here, let me help you sit up a little…" She took a few pillows from a closet and propped TK up.

"Kari…" TK smiled at her. "Please don't cry…"

"I can't help it…" Kari sniffled. 

TK smiled at her and handed her a tissue from the box next to his bed. "What happened? Why am I in the hospital? _Am_ I in the hospital?"

"Yes." The nurse bustled around the room, taking measurements and charting amounts on the clipboard. "You've been here for, maybe a week?"

Kari nodded. "Something like that."

The nurse grinned. "Dr. Jon and Julie will both want me to call them… I've got more patients too, but I'll be back in an hour to finish looking you over. Is that okay?"

TK and Kari both nodded. 

As soon as the nurse left, TK's blue eyes turned to Kari. "Why am I here?"

"In the hospital?"

"Yeah."

Kari grabbed another tissue. "There was an accident. Do you remember anything that happened?"

"I was at your house, and I crossed the street and…"

"There was a drunk driver and he hit you." Kari paused and wiped her eyes. "You've been in the hospital for what, four days? Maybe five."

"What's happening? Am I gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, probably. You would have been out a lot quicker, but you had a reaction to the anesthesia and it put you into a coma. And then the people had to fix your leg and…"

"What happened to my leg?"

Kari sniffled. "Something shattered. I don't know what, though. But the doctor said…" She wiped her eyes. "He says that you might not be able to play basketball anymore."

TK nodded, his eyes serious. 

"And he says you'll have crutches or a cane or whatever for a while, and then just a limp."

TK nodded again. He looked like he was deep in thought. About what, Kari didn't know, but he had a lot to think about, so… "TK, do you want me to leave you alone for a while?" She stood and took a step before TK caught her wrist. 

"No, please. Stay with me." Kari was surprised by the emotion in his voice as she took a seat in the chair next to the bed.

* * * * *

"Hello, this is Music Mania, Chandler speaking."

"Hello, this is Kari Kamiya. Is Matt Ishida there?

"Hey, are you his brothers friend? The one who was going to come to the concert?"

"Yes, I am. Does _everyone_ from the band work at Music Mania?" Kari asked. 

"Yeah. Lemme go find Matt for you."

Kari winced as she heard Chandler yell, the sound magnified by the telephone. "Ma-att! Pho-one!"

"Kari? Here he is."

"Thanks."

There was a brief pause as Matt picked up the phone.

"Hello, Music Mania. Matt speaking."

"Matt, it's Kari."

"What, is something wrong? Do you need me up there?"

"No, it's…" Kari tried to tell him what had happened, but Matt just barreled on. 

"Hang on, I can see if Chandler can take over for a couple of hours and…"

"But Matt, it's…"

"Or I can call somebody and see if they can fill in…"

"Matt, it's okay!"

"But then I… what?"

"It's okay! He woke up!"

"Are you serious? When?"

"At like four this morning. He's sleeping now, but…"

"He's awake?"

"Yes!"

Kari heard Matt yell in joy. She could picture the odd looks he got from customers, because she could hear him muttering "Sorry, sorry…" as he returned to the phone.

Matt scooped up the phone again. "So he's okay? No amnesia or anything?"

"I don't think so. But you never know."

"Can he have visitors?"

"Yeah. Want to come up? He asked about you earlier."

"_Really?_ " Matt was surprised, Kari could tell. She didn't know _why_ he was surprised; they _were _brothers, after all…

"Yes. He'd probably be glad to see you."

"I'll be up in an hour or so, okay?"

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Bye, Kari.

"Bye."

* * * * *

Matt walked into TK's room about an hour later. It looked as if TK had just woken up as Matt had opened the door, because he sat up and rubbed his eyes as son as he saw his brother.

"Hey Matt," he said. 

Matt grinned at him. "Hey Squirt."

TK grinned back before glancing around the room. "Hey, where'd Kari go?"

"I sent her home."

"Why?"

"She hadn't slept for the five days you've been here. Yeah, maybe a couple hours here and there, but she didn't get nearly as much as she needed. She's also been crying about every hour, and I think she needed the rest."

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, she's just tired. How would you feel if a car hit her, and you watched the entire thing?" Matt noticed how TK's eyes widened at that sentence. "What?"

"You mean she saw the accident?"

"Yeah, you didn't know that? You were at her house, and…"

"Yeah, I know that part. But she actually watched me get hit by a car?"

"Mmhmm. And then she was the one who called 911, and then she rode in the ambulance, and called everyone from the ER."

TK thought for a moment. "Was she all by herself?"

"For the first day or so. Then I was able to drive up, and Sora came up for a while, too."

"Taiora?"

"Huh?"

"It's a joke of Kari's and mine. Tai plus Sora equals Taiora."

Matt grinned. "Nope, just Sora. Taiora had a brief separation, but they're back together."

"You mean Tai and Sora broke up while I was out too?"

"Yup."

"So she was all by herself?"

"Pretty much."

"I can't stand to see her sad, Matt."

"I know, Squirt."

"No, but when I was out, I kept hearing bits of conversations and things, but it was as if through like, a really dense fog. And one of them was Kari crying. And I was trying to wake up and trying to tell her it'd be okay, but I couldn't. It was worse then any of the nightmares I had when I was a little kid, because I just had this feeling that it was real. You know how with some nightmares, they just seem to have this ethereal quality? But this one didn't."

"TK, calm down. When I kicked her out of the hospital to go home, she was in the best mood I've seen her in all week. You're awake. She's happy."

"But you've heard the horror stories just as much as I have. What if I go back under? What if I have some messed up allergic reaction to say, the IV fluid?"

"TK, you've already _had_ a 'messed up allergic reaction'. You had a pelvic fracture- supposed to be a routine procedure, right? Ever heard of Malignant Hyperthermia?" TK shook his head. "Well, we all have now, thanks to you. Wanna know what it is?" Matt barreled on without waiting for a response from TK. "It's some kind of allergic reaction to an anesthetic. Or something like that. It's rare, so rare that the doctors didn't know what it was at first. You're damn lucky that Dr. O'Neill could figure it out before you died. How do you think Kari felt, sitting in the waiting room, seeing the people run to the room you were in, and not know what was going on?"

"Matt, I'm just saying 'what if'. I don't want to have her sad."

"Well, let's play the 'what if' game, then! What if she marries, say, Davis? What are you going to do then? Live miserable?" As soon as Matt spoke, he wanted to pull the words back in. But he couldn't, the damage had been done. And now he had to watch as the pain spread over his little brother's face. 

"TK, I'm sorry," he gasped. "I… I didn't mean it…"

TK sighed. "I know you didn't. But it's true, isn't it? I know she doesn't love me. Why do I even bother?"

"Because you love her."

TK rubbed his forehead. "I'm hopeless."

Matt laughed as his little brother babbled on about what had happened before the accident.

* * * * *

Julie didn't know why, but she returned to the hospital earlier than normal the next morning. She had a feeling that something big was going to happen that day, but who knew exactly what?

After dumping her purse into her locker space in the staff lounge, she grabbed her white coat and decided to hurry upstairs before she started her shift. Plus, Jon wouldn't mind if she were a little late…

As she made her way up to Takeru Takaishi's room, she heard voices. She entered the room and grinned as she saw him sitting in bed, awake and chatting animatedly to the man that she recognized as Matt, his brother, and Dr. O'Neill. "Hey, Dr. Jon. Fancy meeting _you_ here!"

Jon grinned at her. "I knew something was up when I got a phone call at four in the morning. So I came in early. How 'bout you?"

"I had the phone off the hook last night, I needed the sleep." She turned to the boy in the bed and smiled. "I'm Julie Connolley."

He stuck out his hand. "TK Takaishi. Pleased to meet you." Julie took it as he spoke. "Are you another one of the doctors? Hopefully you're not like the one who came in earlier… I could have sworn that him and Dr. Jon were going to kill each other…"

Julie sighed. "As you can see, Philip and Jon aren't exactly the best of friends…"

Jon snorted. "Philip? Now you two are on a first name basis?"

"Yes, not like it's any of your business. I'm on a first name basis with you."

"I just don't want you to get hurt. Phil has a tendency to…"

"Yes, I know."

TK Takaishi grinned at her. "So are you a doctor?"

"Not quite. I'm a med student."

"Eh, close enough. And thanks for saving my life." 

"Really I didn't do much… mostly I just took care of Kari for you."

TK's eyes were serious. "Well, then, thank you even more for that." 

Julie thought for a moment. "Hey, where is Kari anyways?"

Matt interrupted. "I sent her home to get some sleep."

"Good," said Jon. "I was wondering if we'd have to admit her before she'd get some rest."

A nurse that TK recognized from earlier that morning poked her head into the door. "Dr. O'Neill? Julie? Your shift starts in ten minutes."

Dr. O'Neill rose and shook both the hands of Matt and TK. "I've got to go back down to the ER. It was very nice to visit with you. We'll have to do it again sometime." He grinned, waved, and walked out the door. Julie said goodbye quickly and hurried out to catch up with Jon.

She grabbed his arm as he pressed the button for the elevator. "What were you and Philip fighting about this time?"

He sighed. "You know the way Dr. Kelsey and I get along." She couldn't help hearing the slight emphasis on 'Dr. Kelsey', which seemed to Julie to show his disapproval that she was calling his professional rival by a familiar term. 

"Jon, what's wrong with you? You've been acting funny all morning."

"I'm sorry, I'm tired, and I'm not in the best of moods after my run-in with Philip Kelsey…" He sighed. "I'm sorry. Really. After Takako called at four-thirty, I couldn't go back to sleep, and then I came in early, and I had the late shift last night…"

Julie grinned. "Don't worry about it. I just wanted to know what was wrong."

"Well, that's it." He grinned. "I need more coffee…"

"Why don't you see if Dr. Nichols will let you take a shorter shift? Someone can probably fill in, we've got a bunch in the ER today."

"Nah, I'll be fine. Really…" He yawned, ignoring her skeptical look. "Seriously, I will…"

Julie shook her head. "Go see Dr. Nichols. I'm serious. I don't want you to leave, say, a scalpel inside someone." He laughed as she went on. "Seriously. It's happened."

"I know. Now come on, we've got stuff to do."

* * * * *

Kari woke up at one in the afternoon, the latest she'd ever slept. Normally she got up early, but she couldn't remember why she was up later today…

TK was up, that was it. She grinned, remembering how Matt had sent her home, even though she wanted to stay. 

She hopped out of bed feeling rested. After grabbing a sweatshirt and jeans out of her dresser, she changed her clothes and got ready to leave for the hospital again. Hopefully she could send Matt back to her apartment to get some sleep, he was probably pretty tired by now too…

She left the house at a brisk pace, hoping to make it back just in time for visiting hours, but the nurses would probably bend the rules for her anyway, they'd done it before. 

The hospital was only about a mile away, so she made good time, arriving in about twenty minutes. She didn't know what to do, really. She'd always been lucky with finding her way around the place, since all the doctors had always led her up. Well, that and the fact that she'd been at the hospital for a while without leaving…

She walked hesitantly into the lobby, asking a woman at the desk where she could find TK. She was directed towards the fifth floor. She rode in the elevator and realized where she was.

She walked into TK's room and saw Matt asleep in a chair, with TK making paper airplanes and throwing them at him. She grinned and poked Matt in the arm. "Matt, wake up."

"Mmm, five more minutes…"

"Matt, get up or we'll take away your hair gel."

Matt opened his eyes and sat ramrod straight in the armchair. "Hi, Kari. What do you want?"

"Matt, go to my house and get some sleep."

"No, I'm…" he yawned. "…not tired at all."

TK grinned. "Matt, just go to Kari's house and take a nap. You've been asleep in that chair for an hour." 

"Really?"

"Yeah. Just go to Kari's for an hour. If you aren't asleep then, you can come back."

"Okay." Matt yawned again. "Sounds fine to me." He stood and walked out o the room before reentering. "Kari? Where _is_ your house?"

Kari and TK both cracked up as Kari gave Matt quick directions to her house.

He hadn't been gone for more than three minutes before TK spoke up. "What did I miss?"

"You mean at school?" Kari laughed. "I skipped."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There were more important things to do."

TK's eyes became serious. "Kari?"

She looked at him inquisitively. "What is it?"

"Nothing really, just…" he fell silent. 

She nodded and the room was silent for a few moments before TK spoke again, his voice charged with emotion. "Please, Kari, don't say you can't love me, you can learn, Kari, I can't live without you, please…" He glanced at her and saw the grin across her face and her shining eyes. "Kari? What…?" He grinned. "What happened?"

Tears, happy tears this time, spilled from Kari's eyes as she spilled out her story. "I told you I couldn't love you, because I was scared, I think. And then you left, and I watched you get hit by that car, and then I realized that I had lied, and I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't, and…"

"Ssh…" He grinned at her. " I know."

"I don't want to lose you again," she whispered.

"You won't, I promise…" he murmured in reply as their lips met.

****

To Be Continued…

****

A/N: One more chapter, everyone… actually it's an epilogue, but it'll be up really soon. I hope. =-) It'll just tie up those loose ends… And don't forget to review!

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Finished: August 2nd, 2001… however, fanfiction.net was down, so I couldn't post it…dang.

Feel free to e-mail the authoress at [bee824@yahoo.com][1]! I love to hear from you!

   [1]: mailto:bee824@yahoo.com



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